Although the jury is still out on the benefit of rocker bottom footwear, one thing that might help those with EBS who develop regular foot blisters may be to keep their weight in check. In a separate poster presentation given by Lynn Hubbard, a specialist EB dietitian in the department of nutrition and dietetics at St. Thomas’ Hospital in London, it was shown that almost a third of patients with EB simplex were obese, compared with 26% of adults in the general U.K. population.
“People with EBS are known to have hyperkeratosis and foot-blistering,” Ms. Hubbard observed in the poster. This can lead to reduce mobility and pain, which “may in turn have an impact on body weight, and an increased BMI [body mass index] may further affect mobility.”
Data were collected on 90 patients who attended a U.K. EBS clinic over an 11-month period. While 45.5% of patients had a normal weight, the majority was overweight (21.1%), obese (21.1%), or morbidly obese (10%).
Fifteen patients completed questionnaires about their mobility, and almost all felt that their weight had an adverse effect on their feet, as did EBS. Several also noted problems with their EBS, in the skin folds around the bra, waist, and sock lines.
“We now plan to begin a pilot study to establish a supportive weight management program for people with EBS and evaluate both weight loss and impact on mobility,” Ms. Hubbard reported.
No conflicts of interest were declared by any of the speakers.
SOURCES: EB 2020. Reimer A et al. Poster 26; Khan T. oral presentation; O’Sullivan M et al. Poster 93; Hubbard L. Poster 19.