Thoracic adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: perinatal and environmental aspects in a Swedish population and their relationship to curve severity.

Summary A perinatal and environmental survey was done on 551 adolescent patients with idiopathic thoracic scoliosis to determine if maternal age, paternal age, patient's sex, birth order, season of birth, birth weight, weight at 10 years, socioeconomic group, or population density influenced the severity of the curve. No difference between mild and severe scoliotic patients emerged in any of the factors. A significant difference between the study group and the general population was found in maternal age. Scoliosis was commoner in higher socioeconomic groups. The rate of illegitimacy among scoliotic patients was half that expected. None of the factors examined was of value in predicting curve severity.