اختلالات ستون فقرات و اندام در نوجوانان معلولیت ذهنی

There are not many studies pertaining to the spinal or limb abnormalities in people with intellectual disabilities, without a clear profile of these deformities of them, efforts to understand its characters and improve their quality of life will be impossible. Therefore, this paper aims to describe the prevalence and related factors of spinal and limb abnormalities in adolescents with intellectual disabilities. The participants who participated in health examinations as they enrolled into special schools at the first year, a total of 822 aged 15–18 years adolescents with ID were recruited to this study. The results showed that there were 14.5% and 8.5% cases had spinal and limb abnormalities based on the physician's observation and X-ray test. Factors of BMI level and limb abnormalities were significantly predicted the spinal abnormality occurrence in those adolescents with ID. Gender, disability level and have a spinal abnormality were variables that can statistically correlate to limb abnormality condition. The study highlights that in order to ensure people with intellectual disabilities receive an appropriate quality of care, it is important to have a precise understanding of the ways in which the needs of them who have spinal or limb deformities differ from the sole intellectual disability and the general population as a whole.

There has not been much published literature pertaining to the spinal or limb abnormalities in people with intellectual disability (ID) in the previous decades. One earlier study by G.B. Solitare described “The spinal cord of the Mongol” in 1969. He reported four autopsies on Mongols (now Down syndrome) to examine their spinal cord lesion (Solitare, 1969). Smith, Schindeler, Elbualy, and Shear (1970) indicated that limb abnormalities are occasionally found in populations of ID individuals. A recent study by Tangerud, Hestnes, Sand, and Sunndalfoll (1990) indicated that there was a significant increase in degenerative changes in the upper part of the cervical spine in persons with Down's syndrome. Maclachlan et al. (1993) also concerned that adults with Down syndrome were high risk of high prevalence of degenerative disease of the cervical spine and consideration should be given to this diagnosis in the appropriate clinical setting. The consequences of spinal or limb abnormalities in people with ID are complicated. Mori et al. (2005) examined the correlation between spinal characteristics and respiratory function in patients with severe physical disabilities and ID. These observations suggest that the spinal abnormalities affect respiratory patterns in a restrictive manner and increase the respiratory change rate during tidal breathing. Lutkenhoff and Oppenheimer (1997) described the adolescents with spina bifida “Young people with spina bifida with have many questions about themselves and their futures which they may not want to ask of their parents or doctors. Even if they do ask, there is likelihood that the person asked won’t know the answer”. However, without a clear profile of spinal or limb deformities in people with ID, efforts to understand its characters and improve their quality of life will be impossible. Therefore, the purposes of this paper were to describe the prevalence and related factors of spinal and limb abnormalities in adolescents with ID.