Abstract

Objective: Although waist circumference and body mass index have been reported to be risk factors in several diseases, there are few avalaible data on the relationship between waist circumference and carpal tunnel syndrome. We aimed to evaluate the relationship between waist and wrist circumferences, and body mass index in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome.
Materials and Methods: One hundred consecutive patients with carpal tunnel syndrome and 100 healthy volunteers were included in this study. Neurological examination and nerve conduction were performed. The patients and controls were compared in terms of age, sex, body mass index, wrist circumference, and waist circumference.
Results: The means of the waist and wrist circumferences and body mass index were significantly higher in patients than in controls (p=0,0001). There were statistically significant correlations between carpal tunnel syndrome and body mass index as well as waist and wrist circumferences of the patients (r=0.285, p 003C 0.001; r=0.213, p=0.002; r=0.182, p=0.010 respectively). Morever, there were statistically significant differences in the wrist and waist circumferences between controls and patients with moderate to severe carpal tunnel syndrome group (p 003C 0,05).
Conclusion: Our study showed significant relationship between carpal tunnel syndrome and the wrist and waist circumferences of patients. Thus, the roles of visceral and total body fat in carpal tunnel syndrome should be considered in future studies. Measuring waist and wrist circumference is a simple and inexpensive method that can be used in studies on carpal tunnel syndrome in addition to body mass index.

Key words: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome; Body Mass Index; Wrist Circumference; Waist Circumference; Age.