[Natural history of scoliosis from childhood to old age].

Idiopathic scoliosis arises at any age in childhood. Its increasing is usually progressive, following growth, with a peak at puberty. Well codified determining factors for severity are: age at beginning, angulation and bone maturation. Functional and consequential effects remain anyway limited. Many scoliosis increase in adult life, giving way to deterioration, prevailing at the lumbar level, with osteo-arthritic changes and typical patterns such as dislocation at the junctional areas. Functional repercussion may thus arise, mainly pain and, in severe thoracic scoliosis impairment of the pulmonary function. A special form of degenerative scoliosis may appear over 45 or 50 years of age with progressive backache and/or radicular pain.