APPLICATION OF BEIGHTON SCORE FOR JOINT HYPERMOBILITY IN CHILDREN

Abstract

Objectives: Beighton score is the scoring system to evaluate hypermobility, the condition that joints stretch further than the normal range of motion. The Beighton hypermobility score is the most widely used instrument, because it can be used easily and is suitable for epidemiological studies. The main aim of this paper was to evaluate the prevalence and pattern of joint hypermobility in a large population of Korean school children and adults using the Beighton score, and whether there were differences between two groups. And we concerned which cut-off point of the Beighton score was suitable for hypermobility in case of children.

Method: The study took place in Seoul, a capital of South Korea. We enrolled 2 groups of females, one was an elementary school and the other was a directory assistance center. Joint hypermobility was evaluated in the subjects by using the Beighton method, the score ranges from 0 to 9, and joint hypermobility was defined by a score of ≥ 4. Differences of Beighton hypermobility score and ratio of hypermobility between the 2 groups were tested for significance using the t- or chi-square test, where appropriate. We used chi-square test to evaluate differences in the hypermobility ratio per each joint and calculated the odds ratio (OR) to estimate relative risk of joint hypermobility according to which groups.

Results: In group I (elementary school), 404 female students in the ages 6 to 12 years were included and in group II (directory assistance center), 266 female workers in the ages 24 to 50 years were included. The ratio of overall hypermobility according to Beighton score (≥4) was significantly higher in group I (58.2%) than in group II (36.5%). When we looked at the individual joints, there was a significant decrease of hypermobility ratio of group II in bilateral little finger joints, the odds ratio was 4.87 for right and 2.31 for left little finger. In little finger joint, there was a significant decrease in symmetry of group II, the odds ratio was 4.82.

Conclusion: The hypermobility evaluated using the Beighton score significantly decreased in a group of adults workers, compared with elementary school. We found that the decrease of the Beighton score was mainly attributed to the decreased hypermobility of right little finger joint. We assume that it is reasonable in children to apply 5 point as cut-off point for hypermobility, 1 point higher than adults.