Carpal tunnel syndrome and prediabetes: is there a true association?

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is probably associated with diabetes mellitus, but its link to prediabetes (PD) is unknown.

To determine prevalence of PD and others risk factors in CTS.

A cross-sectional study including 115 idiopathic CTS patients and 115 age-, gender-and body mass index (BMI)-matched controls was performed. Clinical, laboratory and neurophysiological evaluations were conducted in all subjects to confirm CTS diagnosis. CTS severity was graded on a standardized neurophysiological scale. PD was defined using strict criteria.

The prevalence of PD was similar in CTS and control groups (27% vs. 21.7%, respectively P=0.44). Nocturnal symptoms (91.3%) and moderate CTS (58.3%) were most frequently observed in CTS patients. In logistic regression analysis, PD was significantly correlated with age (odds ratio [OR] 1.05, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.01-1.09; P=0.006) and BMI (OR 1.08. 95% CI 1.01-1.16; P=0.026), but not with CTS (OR 0.82, 95% CI 0.43-1.53; P=0.537). CTS patients with PD had a significantly higher mean age compared to those without PD (53.8±10.2 vs. 49.5±8.6 years, respectively P=0.027). The frequency of age >60 years was significantly higher in CTS with PD than in CTS without PD (29.0% vs. 8.3%, respectively P=0.04) as was BMI >30kg/m(2) (64.5% vs. 33.3%, respectively P=0.03). No significant differences were observed between the two CTS groups with respect to gender, BMI, symptoms, and neurophysiological severity of CTS.

Our findings indicated that CTS is not associated with PD, but that PD is closely linked to age and overweight.