Key predictors of carpal tunnel syndrome: insights from a large electrophysiologically confirmed cohort
Aydan Koysuren, Aytekin Osmanbeyoglu, Selcen Duran, Asuman CelikbilekAbstract
Objective
We evaluated the relationships between demographic, metabolic and biochemical risk factors and the presence, localisation and severity of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) in a large Turkish cohort.
Methods
In total, 3144 participants were retrospectively included in this 2‐year study. Among these, 1458 had an electrophysiologically confirmed diagnosis of CTS, while the remaining 1686 individuals served as the control group. Demographic characteristics, comorbidities and biochemical parameters were recorded for all participants. The CTS patients were further stratified by electrophysiological severity and the anatomical localisation of the involvement.
Results
The median age (57 vs 48 years) and body mass index (BMI) (30.6 vs 27.9 kg/m 2 ) were significantly higher in the CTS group. Regarding comorbidities, diabetes mellitus (DM), hypertension (HT) and hyperlipidemia were more frequent among CTS patients, with these differences persisting in severe cases. Furthermore, advanced age and the presence of DM and HT were more prevalent in the bilateral CTS subgroup. In a multivariate model, age and BMI remained independently associated with the presence of CTS.
Conclusions
Advanced age and high BMI were confirmed as independent predictors of CTS, whereas female sex was not. Furthermore, components of metabolic syndrome were the most common comorbidities identified in this Turkish cohort.