[Pubertal dynamics of growth and spinal scoliosis]

By means of longitudinal observation of growth of 698 pupils in the period of predicted puberty, the dynamics of changes in spine status was observed in relation to accelerated growth. At the beginning of observation, when the majority of pupils were in the period prior to puberty, the prevalence of scolioses with side curve being higher than 10 degrees, according to Cobb, was 1.57%. In those three years that were observed, the majority of pupils developed secondary sexual characteristics followed by adolescent impetus of growth. At the same time of the development of puberty, the spine status started to change in the way that the incidence of scoliosis was tripled with the same children and amounted to 4.87%. At the same time even the number of children having asymmetrical bodies of scoliotic posture increased from 20.9% to 28.8%. Children having regular posture of their bodies before the puberty, almost in three quarters of cases retained the same status. When the status of spine was changed the regular posture also changed to scoliotic one, and vice versa. Such a scoliotic posture was interpreted as a physiological variation of normal appearance of body and not as an important factor of risk in the development of scoliosis. Only 8.9% of children having scoliotic posture in puberty, developed scoliosis. Those children that developed scoliosis in puberty although they had normal postures started to grow at one moment faster and more intensively than their healthy colleagues.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)