Author: Cowan C.; Howard N.; Platt S.
Abstract: Osteoarthritis of the 1st metatarsophalangeal joint (MTPJ) is one of the commoner disorders affecting the foot. Despite the presence of many studies looking to correlate the X-ray appearance of established Hallux Rigidus with clinical findings, no population-based studies exist to explore its prevalence in the normal population. Methods: 352 consecutive radiographs were used in adult patients who presented to A&E requiring foot x-ray. These were assessed independently by the 2 authors using the Hattrup and Johnson grading system. Discrepancies were referred to a radiologist for grading. Results: The radiographic prevalence of MTPJ arthritis in our population was 23.6% (23.6% grade 1, 5.7% grade 2 and 1.4% grade 3). (21.1% males vs 25.2% female). Prevalence markedly increased with age and was significantly increased over the age of 60 (RR=4.6, 95% CI 3.2 to 6.5, p<0.0001). Incidence was also significantly higher in females with an overall incidence of 9.5% in males and compared to 23.0% in females (RR = 2.1, 95% CI 1.1 to 3.9, p=0.01). Conclusion: The results of this study suggest the incidence of the disease significantly increases over the age of sixty and is significantly more common in females (ratio 2:1) as has previously been reported in the literature.
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