Carpal tunnel syndrome in Indian patients: use of modified questionnaires for assessment

This study was conducted to assess the use of a modified carpal tunnel syndrome questionnaire (the Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire, BCTQ) in an Indian patient population. Seventy-six Indian patients with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) were recruited to this prospective study. On a scale of one to five, the average score for the severity of symptoms was 2.09 (0.89). The average score for functional disability was 1.94 (0.74), which was lower than the average function score reported for Western CTS patients (Levine et al., 1993). The symptom severity and function disability scores were higher in patients with positive Tinel's sign and Phalen's test. The function disability score was moderately correlated with other clinical tests for CTS. The average modified BCTQ scores for Indian CTS patients was established through this study. This modified questionnaire might assist physicians in developing countries to assess disability from CTS, although socioeconomic and cultural differences will have to be taken into account when comparing assessments across different populations.