Perceived health status in self-reported adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: a survey based on a population of twins.

Abstract

A questionnaire-based identification of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) patients and measure of Short Form-12 (SF-12) in a big twin-cohort. The purpose was to study the effect that AIS has on the health-related quality of life in the patients. The effect of AIS on the perceived health status is still unclear. All 46,418 twins registered in the Danish Twin Registry born between 1931 and 1982 were sent a questionnaire including SF-12. The questionnaire was returned by 34,944 (75.3%) twins representing 23,204 pairs. A group of 220 subjects considered to have AIS was identified corresponding to a prevalence of 1.05%. In this group, the SF-12 could be calculated in 187 twins. We found the perceived both mental and physical health status from SF-12 to be moderately but significantly worse than in controls. Approximately 75% of the twins with AIS reported to have the same or a better health than their twin- and age-matched peers.