Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis

Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis
Causes

There are significant efforts being made toward identifying the cause of AIS, but to date there are no well accepted causes for this particular type of scoliosis. The vast majority of patients are otherwise healthy and have no previous medical history. There are though many theories about the cause of AIS including hormonal imbalance, asymmetric growth and muscle imbalance. Approximately 30% of AIS patients have some family history of scoliosis, and therefore there seems to be a genetic connection. Many Scoliosis Research Society members are working to identify the genes that cause AIS, and this knowledge continues to expand at a rapid pace. Most likely, there will be many genes associated with scoliosis and each may be helpful in detecting scoliosis and determining the risk for progression of the curve.

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The Scoliosis Research Society provides information on these web pages regarding research and links as a public service. The SRS believes that patients should contact their treating physician about the relevance of any information listed on the site prior to proceeding with any particular treatment. Just as no two individuals are exactly alike, no two patients with a spinal deformity are the same. Therefore, your spinal deformity surgeon will be the most important source of information about the management of your particular spinal problem.