title: Serum relaxin levels in benign hypermobility syndrome.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In this study, we investigated the activity of serum relaxin in female patients with benign joint hypermobility syndrome (BJHS), locomotor system findings accompanying BJHS, and its relation to relaxin.
  
  
  METHODS
  Into the study, female patients with BJHS and healthy women as the control group were included. The patients were diagnosed by using the Brighton 1998 criteria. Examination of the locomotor system for study groups were performed. Serum relaxin levels of both patient and control group were measured.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 48 female patients with BJHS and 40 healthy women in the study. With respect to the control group, the level of serum relaxin was higher in the patients (47.1 ± 20.3, 34.4 ± 22.1; p> 0.05). Again compared with the control group, arthralgia (p= 0.00), myalgia (p= 0.01), shoulder impingement syndrome (p= 0.05), pes planus (p= 0.01), and hyperkyphosis (p= 0.000) were higher in the patients. The level of relaxin median was significantly higher in the patients with pesplanus and hyperkyphosis than those who did not have them (p= 0.05, p= 0.01, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although serum relaxin level is not considered a causative factor for BJHS, the significant increases found in those patients with hyperkyphosis and pes planus suggest the hypothesis that relaxin has a limited and indefinite role in patients with BJHS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilition, Division of Rheumatology, Dicle University Faculty of Medicine, Diyarbakir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Serda
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Em
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilition, Division of Rheumatology, Dicle University Faculty of Medicine, Diyarbakir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Pelin
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Oktayoglu
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilition, Division of Rheumatology, Dicle University Faculty of Medicine, Diyarbakir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mehtap
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bozkurt
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilition, Division of Rheumatology, Dicle University Faculty of Medicine, Diyarbakir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Caglayan
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilition, Division of Rheumatology, Dicle University Faculty of Medicine, Diyarbakir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Karakoc
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilition, Division of Rheumatology, Dicle University Faculty of Medicine, Diyarbakir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Demet
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ucar
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilition, Division of Rheumatology, Dicle University Faculty of Medicine, Diyarbakir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Sabahattin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Verim
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, Dicle University Faculty of Medicine, Diyarbakir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ismail
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Yildiz
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilition, Division of Rheumatology, Dicle University Faculty of Medicine, Diyarbakir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mustafa Akif
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Sariyildiz
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Dicle University Faculty of Medicine, Diyarbakir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Osman
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Evliyaoglu
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilition, Division of Rheumatology, Dicle University Faculty of Medicine, Diyarbakir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Kemal
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nas
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D018771:Arthralgia / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology; D004535:Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome / Q000097:blood* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D005413:Flatfoot / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology; D005684:Gait / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007593:Joint Instability / Q000097:blood* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012065:Relaxin / Q000097:blood*; D019534:Shoulder Impingement Syndrome / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D012065:Relaxin
keywords: Relaxin; collagen; joint hypermobility syndrome; ligament