[Prevalence of carpal tunnel syndrome in women of boyerahmad township]

ABSTRACT

Carpal tunnel syndrome [CTS] is caused by the entrapment of the median nerve in the carpal tunnel of the wrist. CTS is a rather frequent complication in pregnancy. Thud, the prevalence of CTS is higher in women compared to men. However, the percentage of CTS related to pregnancy is not known in some countries such as Iran. The main aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and severity of CTS in pregnant and non-pregnant women of Boyerahmad township. This is a cross-sectional descriptive study was done during the period of February 2010 to January 2011 in OB and GYN clinics among 2,656 non-pregnant and 1,508 pregnant women. Among the women whom were referred to the OB and GYN specialists, 175 exhibited the clinical symptoms of CTS and were subjected to standard electrodiagnostic studies performed for either ruling in or out CTS by a Physiatrist. The prevalence of CTS in women who had clinical symptoms was 2.7%. The prevalence of CTS in pregnant and non-pregnant women was 3.4% and 2 .3%, respectively. Overall, out of a total of 51 pregnant women who were suffering from CTS, 59.4% had mild, 18.8% had moderate, and 21.9% had severe CTS. Sixty one non-pregnant women had CTS that 73.6% of whom had mild, 20.8% had moderate, and 5.6% had severe CTS. The prevalence of CTS in pregnant women is higher than non-pregnant women. Also the rate of severe CTS is higher among pregnant women