Podiatric Skin and Nail Involvement and Biomechanical Pathology in Renal Transplant Recipients: Assessment of the Foot as a Contributing Factor to Their Health.

Although several studies show the prevalence of podiatric conditions in people with end-stage renal disease or renal replacement therapy with hemodialysis, there is little scientific literature on this when subjects are undergoing kidney transplantation. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of podiatric skin and nail pathology in renal transplant recipients. A descriptive, observational, prevalence study was conducted at the Nephrology Department of the University Hospital of A Coruña. A total of 371 subjects were studied. The variables studied were sociodemographic (age, sex), anthropometric (Body Mass Index), comorbidity (Charlson Comorbidity Index), and podological (skin and nail alterations). A high presence of skin (83.1%) and nail pathology (85.4%) was observed, with hyperkeratosis (68.8%), onychogryphosis (39.4%), and onychocryptosis (36.9%) being the most predominant alterations. Although it was not significant, patients with a higher risk of presenting podiatric pathology were of female sex and had a high BMI, and both age and the Charlson comorbidity index were significantly associated with this risk. There was an increased risk of both skin and nail pathology at older age and in the presence of diabetes mellitus.

Discordance of the Evaluation of the Plantar Footprint in Kidney Transplant.

BACKGROUND: The measures used for the diagnosis of biomechanical pathologic disorders are variable. The aim of this study was to determine the concordance between the Clarke angle and the Chippaux-Smirak and Staheli indices in evaluation of the footprints of kidney transplant patients. METHODS: An observational prevalence study was performed in kidney transplant patients in the University Hospital Complex A Coruña from 1981 through 2014. After obtaining patient informed consent and ethics committee approval, sociodemographic (age and sex) and anthropometric (body mass index) variables and comorbidity (Charlson Comorbidity Index score) were assessed for each patient, and a podiatric medical examination was performed of the footprint through a pedigree (Chippaux-Smirak index, Staheli index, and Clarke angle). A descriptive analysis of all of the variables was performed; for agreement, the kappa index and the Bland-Altman method were used. RESULTS: We found a predominance of male sex (65.6%) and a high level of overweight (43.3%) in the sample. The highest concordance between the indices studied is presented by the Chippaux-Smirak index, with a kappa index of 0.86 for the left foot and 0.76 for the right foot. CONCLUSIONS: High agreement was attained among observers in measurements of the footprints of kidney transplant patients.

Hallux valgus in a random population in Spain and its impact on quality of life and functionality.

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of Hallux valgus (HV) and the association between the presence thereof and quality of life, dependence for basic and instrumental activities of daily living and foot function. Prevalence study was carried out in a random population sample (n = 1837) (α = 0.05; Precision = ±2.2%). Informed consent and ethical review board were obtained (code 2008/264). We studied anthropometric variables, Charlson Comorbidity Index, function and state of foot [Foot Function index (FFI), Foot Health Status Questionnaire (FHSQ)], quality of life (SF-36), and dependence for activities of daily living (Barthel and Lawton index). Degree of HV was determined using Manchester scale. Descriptive and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed. Hence, the prevalence of HV is 39%. Patients with HV are significantly older (64.6 ± 11.7 vs 60.1 ± 12.6 years old). HV prevalence is greater in females (48.1 vs. 28.3%), subjects with flat foot (48.1 vs. 36.1%) or hammer toes (48.2 vs. 30.9%). Moreover, with regard to the presence or not of HV, statistically significant differences were neither noted in the SF-36 questionnaire nor in the Barthel and Lawton Index. For FHSQ and FFI questionnaires, significant differences were observed between patients who presented HV and those who did not. HV is associated with age, gender, flat foot and hammer toes. The SF-36 and Barthel and Lawton questionnaires remained unaltered by the presence of HV. The presence of Hallux valgus was associated with reduced quality of life and increases foot pain, disability and functional limitation.