Comment On: The Factors Associated With Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Severity Publisher Pubmed



Fallah Y¹ ; Baghianimoghadam B¹ Show Affiliations
Source: Turkish Neurosurgery Published:2022

Abstract

We have read the recently published article by Tonga and Bahadir with great interest (2). In another valuable recent study in this area, which is not discussed in the Tonga and Bahadir’s article, Rhee et al. used a national database to examine carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) risk factors (1). They also used electrodiagnosis to confirm CTS. Patients were followed in this study for 11 years and compared to the control group. They found no significant differences between diabetes, gout, and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) with CTS, but found a significant association between rheumatoid arthritis, hypothyroidism, and Raynaud’s syndrome with CTS. They also found that women had a 4.13 hazard ratio for CTS. Hazard ratios for CTS also increased with the increase in BMI. Hazard ratios for RA and hypothyroidism were 1.93 and 1.61, respectively. These results are similar to the Tonga study on diabetes, ESRD, BMI, and age; but different on hypothyroidism and RA. Confirmation of the lack of association between diabetes and ESRD with CTS can indicate a wide range of differential diagnoses that can cause CTS-like symptoms in such chronic diseases. This can be a warning that these patients should undergo thorough screening before surgery. © 2022. Turkish Neurosurgery. All Rights Reserved.