Health-related quality of life of adolescents conservatively treated for idiopathic scoliosis in Korea: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND Young adolescents with scoliosis are more likely than adults to experience psychological distress affecting health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Adolescence is a sensitive period of psychological development, and thus physical deformity from scoliosis can negatively affect body image and appearance of adolescents. The present study evaluated HRQoL in young Korean adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis and identified related factors. METHODS One hundred and ten adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis were recruited from two tertiary hospital outpatient clinics over one year. HRQoL was measured using the Korean version of the Scoliosis Research Society 22 revision (SRS-22r) questionnaire. In addition, participant medical records were reviewed to collect data on severity of scoliosis, type of treatment and age at which they were first diagnosed with the disease. RESULTS The mean age of the participants was 14.2 years and 48.2 % were first diagnosed at 9-12 years. Most participants (61.8 %) were under observation to follow up the curvature progression and 20.9 % received regular physiotherapy. Almost half the participants (47.3 %) had mild (10°-25°), 41.8 % moderate (25°-40°), and 10.9 % severe (>40°) scoliosis. The total score of the SRS-22r differed significantly between the groups of age at diagnosis (p = 0.033) and type of treatment (p = 0.025). Self-image, a sub-domain of the SRS 22r, was significantly lower in the severe curve deformity group than in the other groups (p = 0.031). CONCLUSIONS An earlier age of scoliosis diagnosis and conservative treatment were related to higher HRQoL scores of Korean adolescents with scoliosis. Although the overall HRQoL did not significantly differ by severity of disease, self-image was significantly decreased in adolescents with severe spinal deformity. HRQoL of adolescent patients with idiopathic scoliosis can be affected by several factors that medical staff needs to consider in order to produce the best and most effective treatment outcomes.