Musculoskeletal diseases as the basis for issuing disability certificates for children

There are nearly 240 million children living with disabilities worldwide - 1 in 10 of all children. The Polish disability certification system is characterized by a significant level of complexity. At the same time the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS), Agricultural Social Insurance Fund (KRUS) and poviat/city disability adjudication teams, voivodeship disability adjudication teams/councils, the Ministry of Family and Social Policy supervising poviat and voivodeship teams/councils issue different certificates. The system is complemented by the appeals to the court which resolve complaints against the decisions of voivodship teams. Children are considered individuals under 16 years of age. They can get a disability certificate if necessary. The aim of the study was to investigate the characteristics of children obtaining a disability certificate due to diseases of the locomotor system in Lublin within the last 16 years.

The authors asked the Municipal Disability Adjudication Council in Lublin to provide data on the number of disability certificates issued for children up to 16 years of age in the years 2006-2021.The data used for the analysis come from the electronic system that collects and processes them according to the assumed patterns.

In the years 2006-2021 the Municipal Disability Adjudication Council in Lublin issued 9,929 disability certificates for children up to 16 years of age. The total number of certificates issued because of musculoskeletal disorders was 1,085 (mean 68/year). Majority of the recipients were 8-16 years old. There were 524 girls (mean 32.75/year) and 561 boys (mean 35.06/year).

In children musculoskeletal problems are in the third position after diseases of the respiratory tract and developmental disorders as the reason for obtaining a disability certificate in Lublin. Comparing this data with others, it can be concluded that the situation is similar to data from developed countries.