RE: Primary Prevention of Gout in Men by Modifying Obesity and Other Factors
From: Leonard A. Levy, DPM, MPH
A study by McCormick, N, et al. of 44,654 U.S. men followed up over 26 years estimated that 77% of confirmed gout cases may have been prevented had all men been of normal weight and adhered to a diet similar to the "Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension" (DASH) pattern, with no intake of alcohol or diuretics. However, among men with obesity, modification of the other factors would not have prevented gout.
The authors also suggest that addressing excess adiposity and other key modifiable factors has the potential to prevent the majority of incidents of gout cases among men. JAMA Netw Open. 2020;3(11):e2027421.
Leonard A. Levy, DPM, MPH, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
From: Doug Richie, DPM
Dr. Kesselman appropriately calls upon our profession to train students, residents, and academic podiatrists to conduct research and provide “counterpoints” to systematic reviews such as the recent article published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. I must point out that two of the best randomized clinical trials published (cited in the BJSM paper) which studied custom foot orthoses and treatment of plantar heel pain were conducted by podiatrists:
Landorf KB, Keenan AM, Herbert RD. Effectiveness of foot orthoses to treat plantar fasciitis: a randomized trial. Arch Intern Med. 2006; 166(12):1305–1310.
Wrobel JS, Fleischer AE, Crews RT, Jarrett B, Najafi B. A randomized controlled trial of custom foot orthoses for the treatment of plantar heel pain. J Am Podiatr Med Assoc. 2015; 105(4):281-94.
Both of these studies had the same conclusions as the recent BJSM study which failed to show any superiority of custom foot orthoses in the treatment of plantar heel pain. There are many reasons why these studies fail to show the outcomes we all experience in day-to-day clinical practice.
In regard to Dr. Kesselman’s call, the best researchers in our own profession have already attempted to provide “counterpoint” in the academic arena and have unfortunately failed to show the superiority of custom foot orthotic therapy to treat plantar heel pain. Instead of relying on rigid statistical analysis of large groups of patients, perhaps we can take a new approach which identifies sub-groups of patients who actually do respond to custom foot orthotic therapy in a very positive way?
Doug Richie, DPM, Seal Beach, CA