Abstract
While the sensorimotor features of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) are well known, a prospective, systematic study of autonomic disturbances in CTS is lacking. Of 139 limbs with CTS (76 patients), autonomic symptoms were reported in 76 (47 patients). Of these, 59% consisted of swelling of the fingers, 39% dry palms, 33% Raynaud's phenomenon, and 32% blanching of the hand. Sympathetic skin response (SSR) had a sensitivity/specificity ratio of 34/89% in CTS with autonomic symptoms. The presence of autonomic disturbances was significantly associated with female gender (odds ratio 4.06, 95% CI 1.5-11.4, P = 0.007), SSR abnormalities (odds ratio 4.3, 95% CI 1.6-11.4, P = 0.003), and severity of electromyographic findings (odds ratio 1.8, 95% CI 1-3.3, P = 0.04) but not age, duration of disease, or clinical severity in a binary logistic regression model. Autonomic disturbances are common (55%) in CTS, occurring with increasing severity of electrophysiologic findings. (C) 2000 John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 1209-1213 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Muscle and Nerve |
Volume | 23 |
Issue number | 8 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Aug 2000 |
Keywords
- Autonomic
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Median nerve
- Raynaud's phenomenon
- Sympathetic skin response
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Physiology
- Clinical Neurology
- Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience
- Physiology (medical)