Long-term trends in carpal tunnel syndrome

Abstract

Objective To assess temporal trends in carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) incidence, surgical treatment and work-related lost time. Methods Incident CTS and first-time carpal tunnel release among Olmsted County, Minnesota, residents were identified using the medical records linkage system of the Rochester Epidemiology Project; 80% of a sample were confirmed by medical record review. Work-related CTS was identified from the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry. Results Altogether, 10,069 Olmsted County residents were initially diagnosed with CTS in 1981-2005. Overall incidence (adjusted to the 2000 U.S. population) was 491 and 258 per 100,000 person-years for women versus men (p < 0.0001) and 376 per 100,000 for both sexes combined. Adjusted annual rates increased from 258 per 100,000 in 1981-1985 to 424 in 2000-2005 (p < 0.0001). The average annual incidence of carpal tunnel release surgery was 109 per 100,000, while that for work-related CTS was 11 per 100,000. An increase in young, working-age individuals seeking medical attention for symptoms of less severe CTS in the early to mid-1980s was followed in the 1990s by an increasing incidence in elderly people. Conclusions The incidence of medically-diagnosed CTS accelerated in the 1980s. The cause of the increase is unclear, but it corresponds to an epidemic of CTS cases resulting in lost work days that began in the mid-1980s and lasted through the mid-1990s. The elderly present with more severe disease and are more likely to have carpal tunnel surgery, which may have significant health policy implications given the aging population.

Changes in the Thickness of Median Nerves Due to Excessive Use of Smartphones

“…The repetitive use of the wrist and injuries to the wrist in contemporary populations were said to occur due to simple repetitive work and excessive use of computers in offices and at home rather than external occupational factors 7) . Thomsen et al 8) reported that excessive use of a mouse would cause carpal tunnel pressure (CTP), and Toosi et al 9) reported that use of a computer keyboard would be used for more than one hour, the median nerve would be compressed, and recommended taking appropriate rests when using a computer.…”

The natural course of carpal tunnel syndrome in a working population

“…Prevalence of CTS has been estimated at 3.8% in the general Finnish population and the disease is 2.5 times more common among women than men (2). The incidence of reported CTS in the general population of Olmstead County, Minnesota, from 2000-2005 was 4.4 per 10 000 and the average incidence of work-related CTS surgery was 1.1 per 10 000 (3). The prevalence of electrodiagnostically confirmed CTS from employee computer use and among active workers in healthcare and construction was 1.7% (4).…”

Impairments and comorbidities of polyneuropathy revealed by population-based analyses

“…20,21 The Rochester Epidemiology Project (REP) is an NIH-funded resource that comprehensively links the medical records of 95% of Olmsted County, MN, residents, irrespective of their health care provider. 22,23 It has been used extensively in many important population-based epidemiologic disease studies including several specific peripheral nerve diseases 10,[24][25][26][27][28] and has been shown to be representative of US populations. 22 In the present study, we estimated the prevalence of disease burden and mortality for all polyneuropathy cases in Olmsted County, MN.…”