Causes
An estimated 65% of scoliosis cases are idiopathic, about 15% are congenital and about 10% are secondary to a neuromuscular disease.
Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis has no clear causal agent, and it is generally believed to be multifactorial, although genetics are believed to play a role. Various causes have been implicated, but none has consensus among scientists as the cause of scoliosis, though the role of genetic factors in its development is widely accepted. Still, at least one gene, notably CHD7, has been associated with the idiopathic form of scoliosis.
Studies in 2006 showed evidence of a linkage between idiopathic scoliosis and three microsatellite polymorphisms in the MATN1 gene (encoding for Matrilin 1, cartilage matrix protein), respectively consisting of 103, 101 and 99 base pairs, .
Congenital scoliosis can be attributed to a malformation of the spine during weeks three to six in utero. It is a result of either a failure of formation, a failure of segmentation, or a combination of stimuli.
Scoliosis secondary to neuromuscular disease may develop during adolescence, such as with tethered spinal cord syndrome. Scoliosis often presents itself, or worsens, during the adolescence growth spurt and is more often diagnosed in females than males.
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