Serum relaxin levels in benign hypermobility syndrome

OBJECTIVE: In this study, we investigated the activity of serum relaxin in female patients with benign joint hypermobility syndrome (BJHS), locomotor system findings accompanying BJHS, and its relation to relaxin. METHODS: Into the study, female patients with BJHS and healthy women as the control group were included. The patients were diagnosed by using the Brighton 1998 criteria. Examination of the locomotor system for study groups were performed. Serum relaxin levels of both patient and control group were measured. RESULTS: There were 48 female patients with BJHS and 40 healthy women in the study. With respect to the control group, the level of serum relaxin was higher in the patients (47.1 +/- 20.3, 34.4 +/- 22.1; p > 0.05). Again compared with the control group, arthralgia (p = 0.00), myalgia (p = 0.01), shoulder impingement syndrome (p = 0.05), pes planus (p = 0.01), and hyperkyphosis (p = 0.000) were higher in the patients. The level of relaxin median was significantly higher in the patients with pesplanus and hyperkyphosis than those who did not have them (p = 0.05, p = 0.01, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Although serum relaxin level is not considered a causative factor for BJHS, the significant increases found in those patients with hyperkyphosis and pes planus suggest the hypothesis that relaxin has a limited and indefinite role in patients with BJHS.