Joint mobility among university students in Iraq

Abstract

The prevalence of joint hypermobility among 1774 university students, aged 20-24 years, in Iraq has been determined from a survey made in 1981. The degree of joint hypermobility was scored on a scale between 0 and 9 using the method described by Beighton in his modification of the Carter and Wilkinson scoring system. Joint hypermobility, defined as a score of 4 out of 9 or greater was found in 25.4% of males and 38.5% of females. The presence of joint complaints, ligamentous sprains, flat feet, Raynaud's phenomenon, easy bruising, high palate and varicose veins correlated well with joint hypermobility and were seen significantly more frequently in students scoring 7 out of 9 or more than in students scoring 3 out of 9 or less. The right (usually dominant) side was significantly less mobile than the left side, whatever the hypermobility score. Physique as expressed by body weight and height did not show any relation to joint mobility.