Elke Schubert-Hjalmarsson, Jonatan Fridolfsson, Daniel Arvidsson, Mats Börjesson, Mari Lundberg
{"title":"Exploring physical activity patterns in adolescents with hypermobility spectrum disorder or hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.","authors":"Elke Schubert-Hjalmarsson, Jonatan Fridolfsson, Daniel Arvidsson, Mats Börjesson, Mari Lundberg","doi":"10.1186/s12969-025-01124-0","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Pain and fatigue are cardinal symptoms in adolescents with Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder (HSD) and Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS). Adolescents with HSD/hEDS are assumed to be less physically active as compared to healthy peers, possibly contributing to poorer health, but objectively measured data are lacking. The primary study aim was to investigate physical activity patterns (daytime and nighttime movement behavior) using accelerometers in adolescents with HSD/hEDS versus a control group. The secondary aim was investigation of any association between fatigue and movement behavior, acknowledging pain catastrophizing as a confounder.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Thirty-seven adolescents with HSD/hEDS and 45 healthy adolescents (aged 13-17 years) participated. Physical activity was measured with Axivity AX3 triaxial accelerometer and an activity-sleep diary was used for assessing time in bed. Fatigue was assessed with the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory - Multidimensional Fatigue Scale and pain catastrophizing with the Pain Catastrophizing Scale for children.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Adolescents with HSD/hEDS spent significantly more time in sedentary behavior (SED), less time in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and exhibited significantly more sleep movement during night compared to the control group. An association between fatigue and SED, MVPA daytime or sleep movement in adolescents with HSD/hEDS, with pain catastrophizing as confounder, could not be confirmed.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>According to this study, adolescents with HSD/hEDS exhibited physical activity behaviors at levels that are associated to poorer health compared to healthy peers. Measures need to be taken to design health promoting programs for these adolescents, including physical activity and sleep health, using a biopsychosocial approach that considers physical, psychological, and social factors.</p><p><strong>Clinical trial registration: </strong>linicalTrials.gov PRS: Protocol Section NCT05633225.</p>","PeriodicalId":54630,"journal":{"name":"Pediatric Rheumatology","volume":"23 1","pages":"69"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3000,"publicationDate":"2025-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12235839/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Pediatric Rheumatology","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12969-025-01124-0","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"PEDIATRICS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: Pain and fatigue are cardinal symptoms in adolescents with Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder (HSD) and Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS). Adolescents with HSD/hEDS are assumed to be less physically active as compared to healthy peers, possibly contributing to poorer health, but objectively measured data are lacking. The primary study aim was to investigate physical activity patterns (daytime and nighttime movement behavior) using accelerometers in adolescents with HSD/hEDS versus a control group. The secondary aim was investigation of any association between fatigue and movement behavior, acknowledging pain catastrophizing as a confounder.
Methods: Thirty-seven adolescents with HSD/hEDS and 45 healthy adolescents (aged 13-17 years) participated. Physical activity was measured with Axivity AX3 triaxial accelerometer and an activity-sleep diary was used for assessing time in bed. Fatigue was assessed with the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory - Multidimensional Fatigue Scale and pain catastrophizing with the Pain Catastrophizing Scale for children.
Results: Adolescents with HSD/hEDS spent significantly more time in sedentary behavior (SED), less time in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and exhibited significantly more sleep movement during night compared to the control group. An association between fatigue and SED, MVPA daytime or sleep movement in adolescents with HSD/hEDS, with pain catastrophizing as confounder, could not be confirmed.
Conclusion: According to this study, adolescents with HSD/hEDS exhibited physical activity behaviors at levels that are associated to poorer health compared to healthy peers. Measures need to be taken to design health promoting programs for these adolescents, including physical activity and sleep health, using a biopsychosocial approach that considers physical, psychological, and social factors.
期刊介绍:
Pediatric Rheumatology is an open access, peer-reviewed, online journal encompassing all aspects of clinical and basic research related to pediatric rheumatology and allied subjects.
The journal’s scope of diseases and syndromes include musculoskeletal pain syndromes, rheumatic fever and post-streptococcal syndromes, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, juvenile dermatomyositis, local and systemic scleroderma, Kawasaki disease, Henoch-Schonlein purpura and other vasculitides, sarcoidosis, inherited musculoskeletal syndromes, autoinflammatory syndromes, and others.