Arthritis/arthralgia and hypermobility of the joints in schoolchildren

Studies of pediatric clinic populations have shown that a high proportion of children with rheumatic complaints demonstrate hypermobility of the joints. In order to compare the frequency and nature of articular complaints in children with hypermobility to that seen in nonhypermobile controls, we examined 192 normal students aged 5-19 years. Overall, 34% (41/109 girls and 25/83 boys) were found to be hypermobile. Consenting parents of hypermobile children were given a questionnaire and interview designed to detect a history of arthritis/arthralgia, as were parents of age and sex matched nonhypermobile controls. Fifty percent of the hypermobile group had a history of arthralgia, compared to 20% of controls. Ten percent in each group had had arthritis. Data from our comparative study supports the possible association between joint hypermobility and the development of articular complaints in children.