Prevalence of Common Foot Conditions in Children-A Cross-Sectional Study in Danish Children Aged 6 to 16 Years

Background: Caregivers often seek medical assistance when their child experiences podiatric medical ailments. Podiatric medical diseases such as ingrown toenails, callosities, warts, metatarsus varus, and hallux valgus frequently occur in children and adolescents. However, treatment, prevention, and rehabilitation are often based on empirical experiences; thus, as a first endeavor, clinical and epidemiologic mapping of podiatric medical diseases in children is warranted. We describe the prevalence of common foot conditions-callosities, ingrown toenails, hallux valgus, metatarsus varus, and warts-among Danish schoolchildren aged 6 to 16 years. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we evaluated foot conditions in children in first (aged 6-8 years), fifth (aged 10-12 years), and ninth (aged 14-16 years) grades. The clinical status of the feet was examined by teams of two podiatric physicians each. Specifically, we evaluated deformities of the foot, foot pathologies, and their anatomical localization. Results: Of 501 children (1002 extremities) evaluated, 417 had one or more of the investigated foot deformities or pathologies. We found 266 various foot pathologies among Danish schoolchildren. Metatarsus varus (53%) and callosities (46%) were the most frequently occurring foot conditions. The prevalence of foot pathologies of ingrown toenails and warts was 14% and 12%, respectively. The prevalence of ingrown toenails, metatarsus varus, and hallux valgus increased with age. Conclusions: This study found that foot pathologies such as warts and ingrown toenails and conditions such as metatarsus varus and callosities are common in Danish primary school students. These findings of high prevalences of foot pathologies and conditions motivate future research projects to clarify how this affects general health and subsequently the relation to pain, health challenges, socioeconomics, and quality of life.