Diabetics More Prone to Need Carpal Tunnel Surgery

A new study has found that patients with type 2 diabetes are more than four times more likely to undergo carpal tunnel decompression (CTD) surgery than are people without diabetes.

Researchers at the University of Western Australia (Fremantle) studied data on 1248 type 2 diabetic participants (mean age 64.1 years, 49.1% male) who were registered in the observational Fremantle Diabetes Study, all of whom had no prior history of CTD. The researchers found that 67 participants (5.8%) had a first CTD during 12,109 patient years of follow-up. This amounted to an incidence of 5.5 per 1000 patient-years, a rate that was at least 4.2 times that in the general population. The researchers found that in Cox proportional hazards analysis, significant independent determinants of first-ever CTD were higher body mass index (BMI), taking lipid-lowering medication, and being in a stable relationship. The study was published in the March 2008 issue of Diabetes Care.

"Diabetic patients have decompression surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome much more frequently than people without diabetes,” said lead author Timothy Davis, Ph.D. "Our data suggest that the decision to go ahead with the procedure is influenced by obesity and overweight, which is likely to increase the severity of the symptoms associated with carpal tunnel syndrome.”

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most common and widely known of the entrapment neuropathies, and occurs when the median nerve is pressed or squeezed in the carpal tunnel - a narrow, rigid passageway of ligament and bones at the base of the hand that houses the median nerve and tendons. CTD is generally recommended if CTS symptoms last for 6 months, and involves severing the band of tissue around the wrist to reduce pressure on the median nerve. Surgical options include open release and endoscopic surgery.


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University of Western Australia