Is Scheuermann's disease hereditary?
Other Qs & As
I have been diagnosed with a back condition known as Scheuermann's disease.
I can't find any information on the condition - please help. I would like to know more about it.
All I have been told is that it is the cause of my backache and is due to the bottom vertebrae.
My doctor says he does not know much as it is a rare condition.
I am also concerned as to whether it is hereditary as I have three children.
There are a group of conditions in which developing bones in children and adolescents become temporarily soft, resulting in some deformity due to the pressure of bearing our weight.
These diseases are named osteochondroses.
After two or three years the bones harden again in their newly acquired, often deformed, shape. The cause is unknown.
Scheuermann's disease is a form of juvenile osteochondritis that usually affects several vertebrae, classically in the chest (thoracic) region.
The active stage of the disease usually affects 13-16 year olds and causes pain in the thoracic spine with rounding of the back.
After a few months the pain subsides to leave a slight forward stoop. Then, in later life there may be renewed backache from the development of osteoarthritis.
It maybe that you are suffering from this process of arthritis in previously damaged bones.
Perhaps you recall a long period of back discomfort during your youth?
In this condition there is a disturbance in the normal formation of some vertebrae and the cartilage plates that separate the vertebrae.
The changes are most marked at the front margins where the bones bear the most force and weight.
Consequently, the discs may be narrow at the front and the vertebral growth area may not develop fully such that instead of being squared like building-blocks, they are more like wedges; this can lead to arthritic change in the bones and joints of the affected part of your back.
There are no known genetic factors in this process, but the cause does remain unknown.
So if your children should develop persisting back pain, do take them to see their doctor and relate the story of your own situation because these days it should be possible to make the diagnosis in childhood.
The NetDoctor Medical Team