A Study On The Foot In Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis

Kim, Min Ho; Kim, Tae Kyoung; Kueon, Soon Ho; Park, Si Bog; Lee, Kang Mok; Lee, In Hong; Bae, Sang Cheol; Yoo, Dae Hyun; Kim, Seong Yoon

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
Aims were to evaluate foot deformity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis for its types, prevalence, and relation with duration of the disease.
METHODS
Inspection, measuring of hallux valgus and calcaneal angle and footprint were done on 256 feet of 128 patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Transverse (metatarsal) arch and longitudinal arch were evaluated by foot printings.
RESULTS
1) The most common type of foot deformities was hallux valgus in 175 of 256 feet(68.4%). Depressed transverse arches were in 169(66.0%), toe deformities including claw toe, hammer toe, curl toe and mallet toe in 125(48.9%), calcaneal valgus in 87(34.0%), callus in 67(26.2%), pes planus in 37(14.5%), and bunion in 25 (9.8%) of 256 feet. 2) Foot involvements as the initial manifestation were seen in 41 (32.0%) of 128 patients with rheumatoid arthritis. A duration of rheumatoid arthritis over 10 years were seen in 37 of 128 patients. In this patients mean number of involved toes per foot was 2.78 which was not statistically significant increase compared to that of all patients, 2.23 (p-value>0.05). Even with absence of foot symptoms in 28 of 128 patient with rheumatoid arthritis, toe deformities were seen in 1.55 toes per foot. And prevalence of hallux valgus, pes planus, depressed transverse arch and calcaneal valgus were 58.9%, 10.7%, 51.8% and 39.3% respectively.
CONCLUSIONS
Foot deformities in patients with rheumatoid arthritis were usually inevitable complication. Even in the patients who had no foot symptom, there were foot deformities. So, we think that physicians should pay attention to the foot in all rheumatoid arthritis.