Is there a relationship between idiopathic scoliosis and body 2 mass? A scoping review

Abstract

The etiopathogenesis of idiopathic scoliosis remains unknown, although genetic or hered- 12 itary factors, neurological disorders, hormonal and metabolic dysfunctions, biomechanical factors, 13 and environmental factors seem to be involved. Several studies have found that patients with scoli- 14 osis have common characteristics of taller stature, lower body mass index (BMI), and low systemic 15 bone mass. We conducted a scoping review to analyze the association between idiopathic scoliosis 16 and BMI. The search for articles was performed on PubMed and Cochrane, including the English 17 language, full-text and free-full-text articles published from December 31st, 2011 to December 31st, 18 2021. Most of the results analyzed are in favor of a relationship between low BMI and scoliosis. 19 Having a low BMI could be associated with the presence of scoliosis, although the reason for which 20 is still doubtful. However, further large-scale epidemiological studies on different ethnicities and a 21 comparison of BMI with the healthy population will be needed to better define the correlation be- 22 tween BMI and scoliosis.