Generalized Joint Hypermobility among School-going children in Majmaah region, Saudi Arabia
Abstract Background Generalized Joint Hypermobility (GJH) is common among schoolchildren and usually benign. However, progressively may lead to joint pain and developmental delay. Identifying the GJH at the school-age would facilitate to monitor early changes and to plan for early rehabilitative intervention. Hence, we aimed to determine the prevalence, pattern, and factors associated with the GJH among school-going children in the Majmaah region, Saudi Arabia. Methods The school children of both genders aged 8 to 14 years from the Majmaah region of Saudi Arabia participated in this cross-sectional study. The Beighton’s score was used to assess the joint hypermobility. Personal characteristics like age, height, weight, Body mass index (BMI), and handedness was also collected. Descriptive statistics were produced for personal characteristics, the point prevalence of hypermobility, frequency of Beighton score distribution, and prevalence of GJH. The association between specific factors and the presence of GJH was analyzed using Chi-square tests and logistic regression measures. Results The occurrence of GJH as defined by Beighton cutoff score ≥ 4 in the 303 participated primary school children was 15.2%. The prevalence of GJH was high among females (16.8%) compared to males (13.4%), but this difference is not statistically significant. Younger male children (age 8 to 11 years) were 16.7 times more probable to develop hypermobility (adjusted OR 0.06 [95% CI 0.01 – 0.56]) compared to older male children (age 12 to 14 years). No associations were observed among female children. Conclusion The prevalence rate reported in this study among school-going children was in the lower range in comparison with the rates reported across the globe. Beighton score of ≥4 was adequate for use in identifying GJH among children in Saudi Arabia.