Diabetic Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Research Articles

Presence of carpal tunnel syndrome in diabetics: effect of age, sex, diabetes duration and polyneuropathy.

Common thought is that diabetic neuropathy is a predisposing factor to entrapment syndromes. Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most frequent entrapment neuropathy; females and old people are most frequently affected (Comi et al., 1978). Prevalence of CTS in diabetics and associated risk factors were studied in 401 patients (208 males and 193 females) with insulin-dependent and non-insulin-dependent diabetes using electrophysiological techniques. Median nerve sensory and motor conduction velocity, ulnar and peroneal nerve motor conduction velocity and sural nerve sensory conduction velocity were investigated in all patients. Diagnostic criteria for CTS were the presence of delayed median nerve sensory conduction velocity in the palm-wrist tract and of increased distal motor latency. Polyneuropathy was defined by slowing-down of conduction velocity in two or more nerves. Forty-five patients (11.2%), 36 females and 9 males, showed CTS. One-hundred-sixty-eight patients (41.8%), 74 females and 94 males, were suffering from peripheral neuropathy. The strongest risk factors for CTS, in order of importance, were: female sex, older age and presence of neuropathy. Polyneuropathy but not CTS was related to duration of diabetes.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Diabetes and Pyridoxal

Serum pyridoxal concentrations were estimated in 13 patients who had both diabetes and carpal tunnel syndrome. The clinical features and response to treatment in these patients did not differ from that seen in non-diabetic patients with this syndrome. No significant difference in mean serum pyridoxal concentrations was noted between diabetics with carpal tunnel syndrome, diabetics without neuropathy, and normal subjects. These results indicate that carpal tunnel syndrome in diabetics is distinct from polyneuropathy in that it is not associated with a reduction in serum pyridoxal levels which is a feature of diabetic polyneuropathy.