Idiopathic Scoliosis Prevalence Is 5 Times Less in Roma Than Greek Children and Adolescents

Abstract

Study DesignSerial screening of Roma children for idiopathic scoliosis. ObjectiveTo confirm or reject the observation that the prevalence of scoliosis is reduced in the Roma population and possibly to explain it. Materials and MethodsThe authors conducted serial screening for idiopathic scoliosis of 1,034 indigenous Roma children (542 boys and 492 girls), aged 4–18 years (857 children were aged 8–18 years) from 1997 to 2011. Age, height, weight, body mass index, years of schooling, and menarche for girls were recorded. Children were clinically examined for body asymmetries and a standing posteroanterior spinal radiograph was obtained in selected cases. ResultsSixty Roma children (6%) had clinical humps. Single humps, according to location, were mostly benign and not related to progressive scoliotic curves. In children with right thoracic humps a left lumbar component could be overlooked. Of 60 children, only 4 (3 girls and 1 boy) with right thoracic and left lumbar or thoracolumbar humps had true progressive scoliotic curves with greater than 10° Cobb angle (prevalence rate, 0.35%). This is 5 times less than the rate of 1.5% in Greek children. One of these 4 children was young and had possible congenital scoliosis; the other 3 were early adolescents. ConclusionsA substantial difference in the prevalence of scoliosis between Roma and Greek children was documented. The usual percentage of adolescent scoliosis found in the Greek population (approximately 15–17 cases/1,000 children) was not seen in this sample of Roma children.