Incidence rate 4.18 per 1,000 person-years; similar to incidence in the general population
WEDNESDAY, April 8, 2015 (HealthDay News) — The incidence of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) does not appear to be elevated among patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), according to a study published recently in the International Journal of Rheumatic Diseases.
Kwang-Hyun Lee, M.D., from the Hanyang University College of Medicine in Seoul, South Korea, and colleagues examined the incidence of CTS among patients with RA in a retrospective cohort study. The incidence rate of CTS was assessed among 1,070 patients with RA who participated in follow-up at least once over a five-year period.
The researchers identified 37 cases of CTS in the cohort, and the cumulative incidence for 12 years of CTS in patients with RA was 6.8 percent. In patients with RA, the incidence rate was 4.18 per 1,000 person-years. CTS occurrence was not significantly associated with RA duration. There was no positive correlation seen between CTS occurrence and C-reactive protein levels.
“Our incidence rate of CTS in patients with RA was similar to the incidence rate of CTS in the general population (0.3 to 5.0 per 1,000 person-years),” the authors write. “CTS occurrence did not correlate with duration of RA and had no positive correlation with disease activity of RA.”
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