Scoliosis occurs in girls at the start of adolescence.
More rarely the condition also develops in boys. When curvature is present at birth, or develops soon after, the ratio is reversed and boys are more often affected than girls. In babies early diagnosis and treatment is particularly important. Scoliosis may also develop as a result of malformations of the spine such as hemi-vertebra or fused vertebrae, or spina bifida . Scoliosis can occur as the result of infections for example poliomyelitis or tuberculosis of the spine.