EPIDEMIOLOGY
( sorry guys if this case is not typical enough for Malaysia and Australia, this is the most reliable published journal i could get on the internet)
Incidence rates of in-hospital carpal tunnel syndrome in the general
population and possible associations with marital status
Background
Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a socially relevant condition associated with biomechanical risk factors. We evaluated age-sex-specific incidence rates of in-hospital cases of CTS in central/northern Italy and explored relations with marital status.
Methods
Seven regions were considered (overall population, 14.9 million) over 3–6-year periods between 1997 and 2002 (when out-of-hospital CTS surgery was extremely rare). Incidence rates of in-hospital cases of CTS were estimated based on 1) codified demographic, diagnostic and intervention data in obligatory discharge records from all Italian public/private hospitals, archived (according to residence) on regional databases; 2) demographic general population data for each region. We compared (using the χscore test) age-sex-specific rates between married, unmarried, divorced and widowed subsets of the general population. We calculated standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) for married/unmarried men and women.
Results
Age-standardized incidence rates (per 100,000 person-years) of in-hospital cases of CTS were 166 in women and 44 in men (106 overall). Married subjects of both sexes showed higher age-specific rates with respect to unmarried men/women. SIRs were calculated comparing married vs unmarried rates of both sexes: 1.59 (95% confidence interval [95% CI], 1.57–1.60) in women, and 1.42 (95% CI, 1.40–1.45) in men. As compared with married women/men, widows/widowers both showed 2–3-fold higher incidence peaks during the fourth decade of life (beyond 50 years of age, widowed subjects showed similar trends to unmarried counterparts).
Conclusion
This large population-based study illustrates distinct age-related trends in men and women, and also raises the question whether marital status could be associated with CTS in the general population.
SOURCE: BMC Public Health Incidence rates of in-hospital carpal tunnel syndrome in the general population and possible associations with marital status, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2586026/pdf/1471-2458-8-374.pdf
ESSENTIAL DIAGNOSIS
1. Begins as pain, burning, and tingling in the distribution of the median nerve.
2. Symptoms initially most bothersome at night.
3. Weakness or atrophy, especially of the thenar eminence, appears later.
4. Common in occupations that require repetitive wrist motion and in pregnancy,
diabetes, and rheumatoid arthritis.
DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS
1. This syndrome should be differentiated from other cervicobrachial pain syndromes,
from compression syndromes of the median nerve in the forearm or arm, and from
mononeuritis multiplex.
2. When left-sided, it may be confused with angina pectoris.
Source: Hellmann D.,Imboden Jr. John, Current Medical Tx and Dx, Chapter 20: Musculoskeletal and Immunologic Disorders, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
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