Abstract
ABSTRACTObjective: To evaluate the prevalence of genu valgum and associated factors in elementary school students. Methods: Cross-sectional study, carried out in 2015, with 1,050 children and adolescents enrolled in an elementary school in Santos, Southeast Brazil. Misalignment of the knee was assessed by intermalleolar distance, considering ≥8 cm or <8 cm. Inter-examiners reliability was measured by Kappa coefficient, resulting in 0.94. Nutritional status was evaluated according to the World Health Organization 2006 references. Logistic regression model was applied to analyze variables associated with genu valgum. Results: Among schoolchildren, 7.1% had genu valgum. The frequency was higher among overweight or obese schoolchildren. On average, students with genu valgum are older than those without it. There was no association with gender. Upon logistic regression model, only nutritional status was significantly associated with this condition. The chance of occurrence of valgus knee in overweight and obese schoolchildren was, respectively, 6.0 and 75.7 times greater than among thin or eutrophic subjects.Conclusions: The prevalence of genu valgum in elementary school children and adolescents was 7.1%, being higher among overweight/obese students and presenting no association with gender or age.
Highlights
Genu valgum or valgus knee is a deformity resulting from the separation of ankles, when the medial faces of the knees are in contact while the person is in anatomical position, the patella and the hallux turning to the anterior direction.[1]
The purpose of this study was to verify the prevalence of genu valgum in elementary school children and adolescents, and to associate it with age, gender, and body mass index (BMI). This is a cross-sectional study carried out during the 2015 school year, in the municipal network of schools of Santos, with primary education children and adolescents attending 1st to 5th grades. This group was chosen because it included children older than the age group with the greatest intermalleolar distance observed for diagnosis of physiological valgus knee, and the adolescents were below the age group that usually presents increased prevalence of this condition.[10]
Genu valgum presented no association with gender, it was shown to related to nutritional status, meaning that the condition was more common in overweight or obese children and adolescents
Summary
Genu valgum or valgus knee is a deformity resulting from the separation of ankles, when the medial faces of the knees are in contact while the person is in anatomical position, the patella and the hallux turning to the anterior direction.[1]. Intermalleolar distance measured with a ruler, being the child in orthostatic position, is one of the clinical alternatives to measure valgus deformity.[3,5] Children under 7 years presenting physiological valgus knee have Intermalleolar distance of up to 8 cm, the greatest distance being observed between 3 and 4 years.[6]
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