HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE IN CONGENITAL CLUBFOOT.

Abstract

Introduction: Clubfoot – Congenital talipes equinovarus (CTEV) – is one of the most common congenital conditions requiring orthopaedic surgery. However little is known about the impact on health-related quality of life in these patients. A score on physical- and mental-health is used for this purpose.

The aim of the present study was to compare health-related quality of life in CTEV to a background population.

Materials and Methods: The Odense based Danish Twin Registry (DTR) is unique as it contains data on all 73,000 twin pairs born in Denmark over the last 130 years. All 46,418 twins born from 1931 through 1982 received an Omnibus questionnaire in the spring of 2002. The incidence of CTEV was self-reported. Included in the questionnaire were questions for The Medical Outcome Study Short Form-12 (SF-12). We calculated SF-12 Physical Component Summary scale (SF-12 PCS) and SF-12 Mental Component Summary scale (SF-12 MCS) using the SF Health Outcomes Scoring Software.

80 reported to have CTEV and the remaining 29,516 were used as controls.

Results: 46,418 twins received and 34,944 (75%) returned the questionnaire. 34,485 (99% of the responders) answered the question ‘Were you born with club-foot?’ The sex distribution in these was 15,731 (46%) males and 18,754 (54%) females.

The self-reported prevalence of CTEV was 0.0027 (95% confidence interval 0.0022–0.0034).

80 reported to have CTEV and the remaining 29,516 were used as controls.

In the CTEV group SF-12 PCSmean was 50.18 (SD 11.19) vs 53.09 (SD 8.11) in the controls.

p< 0.0007.

In the CTEV group SF-12 MCSmean was 50.58 (SD 10.52) vs 51.78 (SD 8.47) in the controls.

NS.

Conclusion: The impact of congenital clubfoot on health-related quality of life was significant only on the physical scale. The clubfoot patients scoring lower than the controls. There was no difference in the mental scale between the two groups.