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Is Obesity Linked with Blount Disease?

Surgeons at Shriners Hospital in Los Angeles (California) are studying the effects of obesity on children. Specifically, they are looking at the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and Blount disease.

Blount disease is bone deformity of the tibia (lower leg bone or shin). The overweight child or teenager puts so much compression on the bone that it stops growing on one side. With a disturbance of the growth plate on one side, the inner (medial) side of the upper part of the tibia slopes downward. The uneven bone changes the natural alignment and causes curvature or bowing of the tibia.

In this study, the records of 102 children with Blount disease were reviewed after surgery. This is called a retrospective study. Information taken from X-rays, BMI measurements, and results of surgery were analyzed. The children were grouped according to age. The groups included children who developed Blount disease before age three and after age three.

The authors report that older children (boys and girls) are more likely than younger patients to be listed for surgery. BMI was higher for those having surgery. There was no link between BMI and gender. One quarter of the group had Blount disease on both sides called bilateral. BMI was not linked with bilateral presentation.

If, as this study indicates, being overweight increases the risk of Blount disease in children, then weight loss in some children may prevent this from happening. Likewise, weight loss may reduce the risk for surgery.

References: Marinis Pirpiris, MBBS, PhD, MEpi, BMedSc, FRACS, et al. Body Mass Index and Blount Disease. In Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics. September/October 2006. Vol. 26. No. 5. Pp. 659-663.

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