SLR - August 2011 - Stephanie Ouhadi
Reference: Backhouse, M., Keenan, A., Hensor, E., Young, A., James, D., Dixey, J., Williams, P., Prouse, P., Gough, A., Helliwell, P., Redmond, A. (March 1, 2011). Use of Conservative and Surgical Foot Care in an Inception Cohort of Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis. Rheumatology. April 18, 2011.
Scientific Literature Review
Reviewed by: Stephanie Ouhadi, DPM
Residency Program: UHHS Richmond Medical Center/OCPM
Podiatric Relevance:
This article discusses the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, particularly from a lower extremity orthopedic standpoint. It specifically discusses the lack of patients seeking out podiatric care even with lower extremity manifestations of RA.
Methods:
Patients with RA were recruited from 1986 to 1998 throughout England. Patients were studied to determine type of podiatric care they had received and the outcomes of different treatment types.
Results:
Data was collected from 1237 patients with RA. It was found that a small percentage of patients (30%) sought intervention for their lower extremity manifestations. Less than half of the patients had surgical intervention. Younger age at onset was associated with a higher percentage of surgical intervention. Female gender was also associated with surgical intervention more often than male gender.
Conclusions:
Only a small percentage of RA patients accessed podiatric care, even in the setting of lower extremity RA manifestations. This article highlights an area where our profession can do a better job of education of both patients and referring physicians.