The Idiopathic Clubfoot: Relationship between Patient’s Gender and the Degree of Severity of the Deformity

Background: The prevalence of the idiopathic clubfoot has been largely reported to be higher in male patients. However, the existence of any relationship between the gender of patients and the degree of severity of the deformity is yet to be established. This study was designed to determine if there is any relationship between the gender of idiopathic clubfoot patients and the degree of severity of deformity.

Methods: Records of all idiopathic clubfoot patients aged 2 years and below who presented at the clubfoot clinic of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital between January 2013 and March 2019 were reviewed. The degree of deformity of each affected foot based on the ascribed Pirani score at presentation was graded as ‘Less Severe’ for scores less than or equal to 4.0, and ‘More Severe’ for scores greater than 4.0. For the purpose of data analysis, patients were categorized into 2 groups, ‘Male Idiopathic Clubfoot’ and ‘Female Idiopathic Clubfoot’ groups. Statistical analysis was done using IBM SPSS version 22.0.

Results: Median total Pirani score and mean total Pirani score were higher for male patients. The degree of severity of deformity for unilateral cases was evenly distributed irrespective of gender, while for bilateral cases, the degree of severity was proportionately more severe for male patients, and evenly distributed for female patients (p=0.514).

Conclusion: In this study, the researchers did not find any significant relationship between gender and the degree of severity of the idiopathic clubfoot.