Neck and back problems in adults with idiopathic scoliosis diagnosed in youth: an observational study of prevalence, change over a mean four year time period and comparison with a control group

Table 1 Descriptive data of the cohorts shown as number (%) or mean (SD). The scoliosis cohort is also divided into the different treatment groups

	Scoliosis				Controls
Variable	All (n = 1069)	Untreated (n = 374)	Brace treated (n = 451)	Surgically treated (n = 244)	(n = 158)
Age, years, first survey	41 (9)	40 (10)	40 (8)	43 (10)	45 (14)
Age, years, second survey^a	45 (9)	44 (9)	45 (8)	46 (10)	–
Curve size, (°)^b	28 (14)	23 (14)	30 (12)	30 (15)	–
Females	946 (88%)	320 (86%)	411 (91%)	215 (88%)	83 (53%)
Smokers	122 (11%)	53 (14%)	37 (8%)	32 (13%)	18 (11%)
Gainfully employed	931 (87%)	322 (86%)	404 (90%)	205 (84%)	124 (78%)
Moderate or heavy occupational strain^c	246 (27%)	98 (31%)	91 (23%)	57 (28%)	42 (34%)

^aBased on the 870 individuals with idiopathic scoliosis that answered to the second survey
^bCurve size is defined as the Cobb angle of the largest curve, determined from the last available radiological follow-up before the age of 27. The curve size for men was 28° (17) and for women 27° (13), and for individuals with juvenile scoliosis 28° (14) and for patients with an adolescent scoliosis 28° (13). Curve apex was thoracic in 562, thoracolumbar in 172, lumbar in 105, and double primary in 230 cases. In the surgically treated, Harrington rods had been used in 213, segmental fixation in 28, and non-instrumented fusion in situ in 3 cases. A posterior approach had been used in 232 cases
^cAnswered by 924 individuals in the scoliosis group (321 untreated, 401 brace treated, and 202 surgically treated) and 124 individuals in the control group

ISSN: 2397-1789