Prevalence of Morton’s Toe Amongst People of the Kalabari Tribe, Rivers State, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Anatomical variations have been genetically linked and the phenomenon Morton's toe is no exception. Its prevalence has been a notable phenomenon in the medical field. This study investigated the prevalence of Morton's toe amongst the Kalabari tribe of Rivers State, Nigeria. Materials & Methods: A total of 446 participants were sampled for this study. Results & Discussions: The observed longer second toe pattern was described as present (both feet, right foot or left foot), while a shorter second toe was described as absent. Morton’s toe was more prevalent (65.9%) in the studied population than absent (34.1%); with males (34.7%) having slightly higher proportion of Morton's toe than females (31.2%), a little difference of 3.5% which was not so significant. The pattern of inheritance of Morton’s toe was without sex predisposition, with larger population exhibiting Morton’s toe. The male participants had a present to absent ratio of 3:1 indicating that for every three males who had Morton’s toe, one male around did not. The female participants had a present to absent ratio of 2:1 indicating that for every two females who had Morton’s toe, one female around did not have it. Conclusion: In the general population, the ratio for present to absent is 2:1, implying that for every two persons with Morton’s toe in the population, there is one person who does not have it. The study also observed bilateral symmetry (i.e., some individuals presented with Morton’s toe on both feet), while others had it on either the left or right foot.