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Published on: January 11, 2019
Evaluation of Clemastine's Effects on Clinical and Electrodiagnostic Parameters in Individuals With CTS: A
Kamyar Kazemi1, Gholamreza Raissi1, Tannaz Ahadi1
1Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Neuromusculoskeletal Research Center, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran.
Objective:
To evaluate the efficacy of clemastine in improving clinical and electrophysiological outcomes in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) when combined with standard splint therapy.
Design:
A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial with follow-up assessments at 1 and 3 months.
Setting:
A physical medicine and rehabilitation outpatient clinic.
Participants:
Adult patients (N=27) (mean age=46.4y; sex ratio, 29.2% men and 70.8% women), enrolled with electrodiagnostically confirmed mild to moderate CTS, were randomized into clemastine (n=14) and placebo (n=13) groups.
Interventions:
The treatment group received 1 mg oral clemastine nightly plus a wrist splint, while the control group received a placebo plus an identical wrist splint, with both interventions maintained for 3 months.
Main Outcome Measures:
Primary endpoints included Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire Symptom Severity (BQ-SS) and Functional Status (BQ-FS) scores, nerve conduction study parameters (median nerve sensory and motor distal latency), and ultrasonographic median nerve cross-sectional area.
Results:
The case group showed a significant difference in follow-up mean BQ-FS and BQ-SS scores (ANOVA, p<.01) at 1 month and 3 months compared with the control. No significant differences were found in the nerve conduction study or ultrasonographic cross-sectional area between groups.
Conclusions:
Clemastine, combined with wrist splinting, may provide further clinical benefits in patients with CTS, particularly in improving BQ-SS and BQ-FS outcomes. Further research is necessary to confirm these findings and explore appropriate dosing options.
