Abstract
BackgroundConcerning the high prevalence of anxiety disorders and joint hypermobility in children and the lack of related studies in this age group, we aimed to assess the association of hypermobility with anxiety disorders in children.MethodsIn this case-control study, 93 children ages 8–15 years with anxiety disorders referring to the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Clinic of Mofid Children’s Hospital, Tehran, Iran, during 2018, were enrolled. The control group consisted of 100 age and sex-matched children without anxiety disorders. Anxiety was evaluated using the Spence Children Anxiety Scale (SCAS). The diagnosis of generalized joint hypermobility was done based on Beighton and Shiari-Javadi criteria.ResultsBased on Beighton’s diagnostic criteria 52.7% of the children in the case group and 16% of the children in the control group had generalized joint hypermobility. Moreover, based on Shiari-Javadi criteria, 49.5 and 13% of the children in the case and control groups had generalized joint hypermobility, respectively. Moreover, the internal correlation between the two criteria was 0.91 showing almost complete compatibility between the two (P < 0.001). Age was a risk factor that could predict hypermobility in these children. Other variables such as sex, severity, and type of anxiety disorders, and ADHD, were not predictors of hypermobility syndrome.ConclusionThe prevalence of hypermobility was three times higher in children with anxiety disorders and only age was a predictor for the possibility to suffer from generalized joint hypermobility in these children.
Highlights
Concerning the high prevalence of anxiety disorders and joint hypermobility in children and the lack of related studies in this age group, we aimed to assess the association of hypermobility with anxiety disorders in children
We found that comorbidity of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) with an anxiety disorder was not a significant predictor of hypermobility, which is inconsistent with two other studies showing a higher prevalence of hypermobility in children with ADHD (15, 29)
The prevalence of hypermobility was higher in children with anxiety disorders
Summary
Concerning the high prevalence of anxiety disorders and joint hypermobility in children and the lack of related studies in this age group, we aimed to assess the association of hypermobility with anxiety disorders in children. The term joint hypermobility was first introduced to the medical dictionary in the late nineteenth century to define Marfan and Ehlers-Danlos syndromes [1]. Joint hypermobility is characteristic of several collagen disorders such as Marfan, Ehlers-Danlos syndromes and osteogenesis imperfecta, generalized hypermobility can be seen in a relatively high percentage of healthy. Many studies have been done on the psychological manifestations of hypermobility. In a systematic review of 35 studies on the psychological manifestations of joint hypermobility, joint hypermobility syndrome, and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, of which 21 assessed the association between anxiety disorder and joint hypermobility. Hypermobility syndrome has been identified as a risk factor predicting anxiety disorders in adults over 60 years [13]
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