Acute bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome associated with human parvovirus B19 infection

Human parvovirus B19 has been described as a causative agent of erythema infectiosum (a disease common in children), aplastic crisis in patients with hemolytic disorders, and arthralgias and arthritis. Joint involvement may be a prominent clinical feature of parvovirus B19 infection and may last for several weeks. We describe three cases of acute bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome associated with parvovirus B19 infection as evidenced by serological data and, in one case, by detection of parvovirus B19 DNA in blood with use of PCR.