OBJECTIVES: Scoliosis mainly affects children and adolescents. Patients may experience severe pain in the neck, back and lower extremities if the curvature progresses. Early diagnosis and treatment are of pivotal importance. The aim of our study was to determine the epidemiological burden of scoliosis.

METHODS: Data were derived from the financial database of the Hungarian National Health Insurance Fund Administration (NHIFA), for the year 2018. Data analysed included annual patient numbers, case numbers and prevalence of care utilisation per 100,000 population according to age groups and sex. The following health insurance treatment categories were included into our study: general practice care, home care, in- and outpatient care, medical imaging, laboratory diagnostics, drugs and medical aids. Patients with scoliosis were identified with the following code of the International Classification of Diseases 10^th revision: M41.

RESULTS: The highest national patient numbers were in outpatient care: 39,418 men and 82,851 women, in total 122,269 patients, followed by general practice care (24,427 men and 37,914 women, in total 62,341 patients), and use of medical aids (3,291 men and 7,738 women, in total 11,029). Based on patient numbers in outpatient care, prevalence in 100,000 among men was 843.8 patients, among women 1,622.4 patients, in total 1,250.4. Average age of patients in outpatient care was 43.1 years, there was a significant difference (10.6 years) between men (35.9 years) and women (46.5 years). As regards sex distribution in outpatient care: 32.2% of patients were men, 67.8% were women, in the use of medical aids men accounted for 29.8%, women for 70.2% of patients.

CONCLUSIONS: Prevalence of scoliosis was 1.9-times higher among women than among men. Average age of women was 10.6 years higher than that of men. High patient numbers found in the use of medical aids was due to the therapeutic importance of corsettes.