Variations in plantar pressure and balance in HIV-infected children in antiretroviral therapy

Abstract

Balance disorders have been poorly investigated and somewhat neglected in people infected with the human immunodeficiency virus, especially in children, whose have intrinsic and extrinsic risk factors that may compromise the balance. To evaluate the foot plantar pressures and the balance in children with acquired immunodeficiency. We recruited 53 children aged between 6 and 15 years: 33 healthy children, and 20 children with positive serology for the human immunodeficiency virus. A physical examination included anthropometric, reflexes, tactile sensitivity of the foot and orthopedic evaluation. We also collected data of them using Pediatric Equilibrium Scale, baropodometry, and stabilometry. We considered significance level of 0.05 for statistics. Both groups were aged-, sex-matched and similar body mass index and scores of the Pediatric Equilibrium Scale. Three infected children had altered tactile sensitivity, and none had orthopedic or reflex alteration. Infected children had higher mean plantar pressure in the hindfoot than of the control group (p = 0.02). There was higher maximum plantar pressure in the hindfoot of the infected children than of the controls (p = 0.04). Controls had lower maximum plantar pressure in the forefoot than the infected children (p = 0.04). Infected children had larger displacement of the center of pressure (p = 0.006), larger mean velocity of displacement (p = 0.006), and longer duration between successive peaks of displacement than the controls (p = 0.02). Children living with the human immunodeficiency virus discharges great plantar pressures in the hindfoot and to present balance disturbances in the absence of neurological symptomatology.

Do visual and step height factors cause imbalance during bipedal and unipedal stances? A plantar pressure perspective

“…Right foot Left foot EO (M ± SD,%) EC (M ± SD,%) EO (M ± SD,%) EC (M ± SD,%) Balance control depends mainly on three elements: visual, vestibular and proprioceptive, which must be integrated and combined with motor and cognitive systems to maintain body stability (Kilby et al, 2017;Takeda et al, 2017;da Silva Pontes et al, 2019). In a normal person standing with EO, proprioceptive input from the lower limbs and visual input play a key role in balance regulation; when the eyes are closed, the vestibular system replaces the visual input by knowing the position and movement of the head to make appropriate adjustments in each body part to maintain body balance (Dos Anjos et al, 2016;Kim et al, 2018).…”