Scoliosis and Postural Deformity Evaluation in Famagusta Region Secondary Schools

The term scoliosis originates from the ancient Greek word "scolios" (curvature) and was first used by Galen around AD 130-201. Scoliosis is a common three-dimensional deformity that causes severe postural impairment in advanced stages. It is generally defined as a curvature of the spine towards lateral flexion in the frontal plane and towards rotation in the transverse plane. Scoliosis is divided into idiopathic and non-idiopathic. Although the etiology of idiopathic scoliosis is not known exactly, it is thought that secondary causes such as genetic, hormonal and biomechanical factors and neuromuscular problems contribute to the development of scoliosis. Scoliosis; It is divided into different classes according to the age of onset, etiology, type and severity of the curvature. The most common type of scoliosis in the community is Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS). The Scoliosis Research Society defines adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) as a curve of Cobb angle ≥10°.

The incidence of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) in healthy children is 2 - 4%. In Turkey, the prevalence of AIS has been reported as 2.3% in children aged 10-15 years. AIS begins in early puberty. The prevalence and severity of curvature are higher in girls than boys. While the prevalence of AIS aged 10-15 years in Turkey is 3.07% in girls, it is 1.49% in boys. Likewise, women are 8 times more prone to development of prognosis in curvature than men.

School screenings in scoliosis are very important in terms of early diagnosis, prevention or protection of deformity progression without surgical intervention. Scoliosis Research Society states that it is appropriate to perform annual routine screenings at the age of 10-14 years. Studies have been carried out in terms of early diagnosis of scoliosis worldwide and the importance of school screening as an early diagnosis method has been emphasized. According to recent literature studies, the prevalence of Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS) in school surveys has been shown within wide limits such as 0.47%-5.2%.

The aim of this study is that many school screening studies for scoliosis have been conducted in the literature both in the world and in Turkey, but there is no scoliosis and postural disorder screening data in TRNC. It is aimed to create an epidemiological database by calculating the prevalence of scoliosis in the 10-15 age group in secondary schools in the Famagusta region of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, as well as to evaluate postural deformities. It is expected that the data obtained will increase awareness about the incidence of scoliosis and contribute to the early diagnosis and treatment of curvature. Thus, in the long term, the development of severe spinal deformities and the medical problems caused by these deformities will be prevented.

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