Prevalence of generalized joint hypermobility in children with anxiety disorders

BACKGROUND: Concerning the high prevalence of anxiety disorders and joint hypermobility in children and the lack of related studies in this age group, we aimed to assess the association of hypermobility with anxiety disorders in children. METHODS: In this case-control study, 93 children ages 8–15 years with anxiety disorders referring to the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Clinic of Mofid Children’s Hospital, Tehran, Iran, during 2018, were enrolled. The control group consisted of 100 age and sex-matched children without anxiety disorders. Anxiety was evaluated using the Spence Children Anxiety Scale (SCAS). The diagnosis of generalized joint hypermobility was done based on Beighton and Shiari-Javadi criteria. RESULTS: Based on Beighton’s diagnostic criteria 52.7% of the children in the case group and 16% of the children in the control group had generalized joint hypermobility. Moreover, based on Shiari-Javadi criteria, 49.5 and 13% of the children in the case and control groups had generalized joint hypermobility, respectively. Moreover, the internal correlation between the two criteria was 0.91 showing almost complete compatibility between the two (P < 0.001). Age was a risk factor that could predict hypermobility in these children. Other variables such as sex, severity, and type of anxiety disorders, and ADHD, were not predictors of hypermobility syndrome. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of hypermobility was three times higher in children with anxiety disorders and only age was a predictor for the possibility to suffer from generalized joint hypermobility in these children.