Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (4)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Duró, J. C.
Right arrow Articles by Vega, E.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow Articles by Duró, J. C.
Right arrow Articles by Vega, E.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

Rheumatology 2000; 39: 1153
© 2000 British Society for Rheumatology

Letters to the Editor

Prevalence of articular hypermobility in schoolchildren: a one-district study in Barcelona

J. C. Duró and E. Vega

Servicio de Reumatología IMAS, Hospital de la Esperanza, Universidad de Barcelona, Salud Pública, Ayuntamiento de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

SIR, After reading the article on ‘Articular hypermobility in Icelandic 12-yr-olds’ [1], I wish to report our experience in schoolchildren of a single district of Barcelona [2].

In 1998 we analysed a random sample of 112 schoolchildren (50 boys, 62 girls; age range 4–7 yr) from three state schools in the district, seen prospectively and consecutively between September 1997 and June 1998. The technique of samples by conglomerates was used for sample selection; the classroom was the conglomerate. All patients fulfilled a minimum of four points of the nine accepted for the diagnosis of articular hypermobility proposed by Beighton [3]. The {chi}2 test with the Yates and Fisher correction was used for the analysis of quantitative variables; differences were considered statistically significant at P < 0.05. Of the 50 children studied, 21 boys (42%) were lax, as were 38 girls (61.29%) (Table 1Go).


View this table:
[in this window]
[in a new window]
  		TABLE 1. Prevalence of articular hypermobility

 
We observed a greater prevalence of articular hypermobility in girls than in boys (P = 0.04), and particularly in 5-yr-old girls (P = 0.045). These results confirm those obtained by other authors [4]. It is difficult to explain why girls are more lax than boys; studies in the literature are lacking in this respect. Hypermobility may persist longer in girls than in boys owing to a possible hormonal factor.

Notes

Correspondence to: J. C. Duró, Hospital de la Esperanza, St Josep de la Muntanya 12, E-08024 Barcelona, Spain Back

References

  1. Qvindesland A, Jónsson H. Articular hypermobility in Icelandic 12-year-olds. Rheumatology1999;38:1014–6.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  2. Duró JC, Vega E. Prevalencia de laxitud articular en un distrito escolar de Barcelona. Acta Pediatr Esp1998;56:494–5.
  3. Beighton PH, Solomon L, Soskolne CL. Articular mobility in an African population. Ann Rheum Dis1973;32:413–8.[Free Full Text]
  4. Arroyo IL, Brewer EJ, Giannin E. Arthritis/arthralgia and hypermobility of the joints in school children. J Rheumatol1998;15:978–80.
Accepted 15 February 2000


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?



This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (4)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Duró, J. C.
Right arrow Articles by Vega, E.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow Articles by Duró, J. C.
Right arrow Articles by Vega, E.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?