Carpal Tunnel Release Surgery at a Young Age Indicates Need for Diabetes Mellitus Screening

Purpose: A few cross-sectional and case-control studies have investigated the association between diabetes mellitus (DM) and carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), proposing that CTS may represent a risk factor for DM. We attempted to test this hypothesis using a retrospective cohort design.

Methods: We followed 90 consecutive patients aged 18-40 years who underwent either carpal tunnel release (CTR, the study cases, n = 36) or ankle fracture repair (the controls, n = 54) in our institution between 1990-2000. We assumed that the latter are representative of the general population after controlling for gender. Basic demographics and incidence of chronic diseases, including DM, were self-reported by the study subjects on a telephone survey.

Results: The average postoperative follow-up was 18.75 years (range 16-26) for the CTR group and 19.39 years (16-25) for the control group. DM was diagnosed in 26.5% of the CTR patients compared to 9.3% of the controls (P = 0.04). No group differences were detected for the four other investigated chronic disease states: hypertension, hypothyroidism, rheumatoid arthritis or hyperlipidemia.

Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that CTS may be predictive of DM in young patients, thus calling for the screening of CTS patients for DM.