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Hallux valgus, pes cavus likely inherited conditions

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Part of the Framingham Foot Study, which used the same pedigree structure as the landmark Framingham Heart Study to look at heritability of hallux valgus and pes cavus in older men and women, found both of these conditions are highly heritable, especially among younger adults, according to a recent American College of Rheumatology press release detailing the study results.

Investigators led by Marian T. Hannan, DSc, MPH, at the Institute for Aging Research, Hebrew SeniorLife & Harvard Medical School, Boston, presented the findings at the 2010 Annual Meeting of the American College of Rheumatology.

“To our knowledge, no other study has examined these associations in humans before,” Hannan stated in the release.

According to the release, these results document, for the first time, the high likelihood that hallux valgus and pes cavus can be inherited, something only widely suspected before now.

From 2002 to 2005 the Framingham Foot Study looked at common foot disorders and their functional limitations in 2,179 subjects. Among them, investigators identified 675 subjects (31%) with hallux valgus and 154 subjects with pes cavus (7%). Their average age was 66 years; 57% were women.

A statistical analysis revealed 39% of the women and 38% of the men inherited hallux valgus, while 68% of women and 20% of men with pes cavus in the study inherited that foot condition.

Looking at age related to hallux valgus, 89% of subjects younger than age 60 inherited it and of those in the younger age group with pes cavus, 99% of women and 63% of men inherited the disorder, which presents as a severely over-arched and hollowed foot, the investigators reported.

“The high heritability that we found is of great interest, especially for the younger ages [less than 60 years], because effective interventions are available and, as with most public health interventions, are most effective in the early stages,” Hannan stated in the release.

Reference:

• Hannan MT, et al. Hallux valgus and pes cavus are highly heritable in older men and women: The Framingham Foot Study. Paper #1329. Presented at the 2010 Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Rheumatology. November 7-11, 2010. Atlanta.

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