Validation of beighton score and prevalence of connective tissue signs in 773 Dutch children.
OBJECTIVE
Validation of the Beighton Score and the prevalence of connective tissue signs were investigated in Dutch children.


METHODS
Hypermobility investigation according to Beighton was undertaken in 773 healthy children aged 4-12 years. An inventory of the signs that fitted with connective tissue disorders was compiled.


RESULTS
The percentage of general hypermobility at a cutoff point of > or = 4 was 26.5% (range 11.4-49%) in children aged 4-9 yrs. At the age of 10-12 yrs, this percentage was 5.3% (range 0-7.1%). There was good agreement (kappa = 0.65) between the measurement on the left and the right sides at all ages. Of the investigated connective tissue signs, thin transparent skin was noted in 0.1%, blue sclerae in 0.1%, and an elevated palate in 2.3% of the children. It was observed that 8.2% of the children were able to touch their nose with their tongue (Gorlin's sign) and 23.7% were able to touch their chin. The other signs were not observed in any of the children.


CONCLUSIONS
We validated the criteria for performing the Beighton Score in (Dutch) children. A cutoff point of > or = 5 should be chosen for Dutch children aged between 4 and 9 years. It appeared that one-sided Beighton Score could be determined during screening of healthy populations. Additional diagnostic tests are warranted if one of the following signs, such as a thin transparent skin, hyperelastic skin, large hematomas, prominent scars, molluscoid tumors, striae distensae, blue sclerae, elevated palate, and Gorlin's sign, is encountered in a child. Although it is not possible to extrapolate the data, we expect that the findings are relevant for children of Caucasian race.
van der Giessen
L J
LJ
Department of Physiotherapy, University Hospital Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Liekens
D
D
Rutgers
K J
KJ
Hartman
A
A
Mulder
P G
PG
Oranje
A P
AP
D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004551:Elbow Joint / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007593:Joint Instability / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D015203:Reproducibility of Results