Prevalence and clinical characteristics of idiopathic scoliosis among adolescents presenting to a tertiary care hospital outpatient department in Karachi

Year 2025, Volume: 19 Issue: 3, 86 - 92, 15.01.2026

Fatima Rehman , Nida Rizvi , Sonya Arshad , Zia Ul Islam Syed Hasan Abbas Rivzi

Abstract

Objectives: To investigate the prevalence of idiopathic scoliosis among adolescent population and their magnitude of ailment on Walter Reed Visual Assessment Scale (WRVAS).
Methods: This cross-sectional study included 119 adolescent individuals of both genders from 10−19 years of age. The prevalence, degree of back pain and disease severity were assessed by using self-structured questionnaire, Visual Analogue Scale and WRVAS. Data were analyzed using SPSS 23 and Pearson Chi-square test.
Results: A total of 190 participants were enrolled, with a female predominance (61.6%). The mean age was 14.55±2.38 years, height 1.59±0.19 m, and weight 50.62±10.19 kg. The highest mean clinical parameter was lateral flexion (30.98°). Among 190, 50% reported spinal abnormality. A significant association (p=0.003) was found between scoliosis severity and awareness of spinal deformity.
Conclusion: This study identifies a considerable prevalence of scoliosis among adolescent population. The study highlights that early detection and combining clinical data with patient-reported outcomes can improve scoliosis diagnosis and treatment in resource-limited adolescent populations.

Keywords

back pain , Cobb angle , posture , spinal curvature , Walter Reed Visual Assessment Score (WRVAS)

References

• Carini F, Mazzola M, Fici C, Palmeri S, Messina M, Damiani P, Tomasello G. Posture and posturology, anatomical and physiological profiles: overview and current state of art. Acta Biomed 2017; 88:11−6.
• Earhart GM. Dynamic control of posture across locomotor tasks. Mov Disord 2013;28:1501−8.
• Putra IGNPW, Febyan F. Scoliosis: a literature review. Hong Kong Journal of Orthopaedic Research 2023;6:4–11.
• Sağlam Y, Bingöl I, Yaşar NE. Dumlupınar E, Ata N, Ülgü MM, Birinci Ş, Özdemir G, Aslantürk O, Görgün B; Turkish Ministry of Health, Pediatric Orthopaedic Scientific Survey Group. The burden of scoliosis: a nationwide database study on demographics, incidence, and surgical rates. Eur Spine J 2024;33:655–62.
• Montuori P, Cennamo LM, Sorrentino M, Pennino F, Ferrante B, Nardo A, Mazzei G, Grasso S, Salomone M, Trama U, Triassi M, Nardone A. Assessment on practicing correct body posture and determinant analyses in a large population of a metropolitan area. Behav Sci (Basel) 2023;13:144.
• Bess S, Schwab F, Lafage V, Shaffrey CI, Ames CP. Classifications for adult spinal deformity and use of the Scoliosis Research Society–Schwab adult spinal deformity classification. Neurosurg Clin N Am 2013;24:185−193.
• Kuznia AL, Hernandez AK, Lee LU. Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: common questions and answers. Am Fam Physician 2020;101:19−23.
• Nault ML, Beauséjour M, Roy-Beaudry M, Mac-Thiong JM, de Guise J, Labelle H, Parent S. Predictive model of progression for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis based on 3D Spine parameters at first visit. Spine (Phil Pa 1976) 2020;45:605−11.
• Sundell CG, Bergstrom E, Larsen K. Low back pain and associated disability in Swedish adolescents. Scand J Med Sci Sports 2019;29:393−9.
• Karpiel I, Ziebinski A, Kluszczynski M, Feige D. A survey of methods and technologies used for diagnosis of scoliosis. Sensors (Basel) 2021;21:8410.
• Colak I, Colak TK. A study of the reliability and validity of the WRVAS-TR in adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis. The Journal of Turkish Spinal Surgery 2020;31:125−9.
• Farooqui SI, Ullah H, Mukadam MA, Zohra B, Sarfaraz I, Qamar D, Zahid F. Prevalence of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis among primary and secondary girls schools of Sikanderabad, Karachi, Pakistan. Pakistan Journal of Rehabilitation 2018;7:28−34.
• Li M, Nie Q, Liu J, Jiang Z. Prevalence of scoliosis in children and adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Front Pediatr 2024;12:1399049.
• Konieczny MR, Senyurt H, Krauspe R. Epidemiology of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. J Child Orthop 2013;7:3–9.
• Smit TH. On growth and scoliosis. Eur Spine J 2024;33:2439–50.
• Hannink E, Toye F, Newman M, Barker KL. The experience of living with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: a qualitative evidence synthesis using meta-ethnography. BMC Pediatr 2023;23:373.
• An JK, Berman D, Schulz J. Back pain in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: a comprehensive review. J Child Orthop 2023;17:126−40.
• Banno T, Yamato Y, Hasegawa T, Yoshida G, Kobayashi S, Yasuda T, Arima H, Oe S, Ushirozako H, Yamada T, Ide K, Watanabe Y, Matsuyama Y. Impact of pelvic obliquity on coronal alignment in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. Spine Deform 2020;8:1269–78.
• Bago J, Climent JM, Pineda S, Gilperez C. Further evaluation of the Walter Reed Visual Assessment Scale: correlation with curve pattern and radiological deformity. Scoliosis 2007;2:12.
• Çubukçu D, Bilir İ. Quality of life and perception of visual deformity in adolescents with mild idiopathic scoliosis. Turk J Osteoporosis 2022;28:200−5.