Etiology and risk factors of carpal tunnel syndrome: A literature review.
Keywords:
Carpal tunnel syndrome, risk factors, etiology.Abstract
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is the most common neuropathy affecting the upper limb. Currently, a large part of the population is exposed to different types of occupations and manual labor that lead to pathologies such as CTS. The objective of this literature review is to determine the etiology of CTS, as well as to identify the main risk factors recognized in the literature for the onset and development of CTS. The present text compiles various literature related to CTS, risk factors, and the pathology's etiology; especially review articles, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses selected from PubMed, using MeSH terms. For articles related to risk factors, a time window from 2006 to 2022 was determined and a time window from 2017 to 2020 for etiology-related articles; resulting in the inclusion of 11 articles in the review. As a result, different types of risk factors were identified, including exposure to force along with a high rate of repetitiveness, hand-arm vibrations, and prolonged work with the wrist-arm flexed. It was also found that CTS is influenced by the type of occupation, with occupations such as the meat and fishing industry, jobs involving chainsaws, or electronic assemblies being risk factors for the development of the pathology. Similarly, gender was identified as a risk factor, particularly the female gender, and middle-aged patients as more susceptible to developing this pathology. Likewise, pre-existing conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes mellitus type I and II, and obesity were recognized as risk factors for CTS. Finally, two reviewed articles found an existing relationship between psychosocial factors such as work stress, job pressure, among others, and CTS. In conclusion, the findings of this literature review suggest biomechanical risk factors such as repetitiveness and applied force, as well as etiological factors such as age, gender, occupation, and pre-existing pathologies for the development and onset of CTS.
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