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Comparative Study
. 2013 Jun;56(6):615-24.
doi: 10.1002/ajim.22048. Epub 2012 Apr 11.

Prevalence and work-relatedness of carpal tunnel syndrome in the working population, United States, 2010 National Health Interview Survey

Sara E Luckhaupt  1 , James M Dahlhamer, Brian W Ward, Marie H Sweeney, John P Sestito, Geoffrey M Calvert
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Prevalence and work-relatedness of carpal tunnel syndrome in the working population, United States, 2010 National Health Interview Survey

Sara E Luckhaupt et al. Am J Ind Med. 2013 Jun.

Abstract

Background: Patterns of prevalence and work-relatedness of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) among workers offer clues about risk factors and targets for prevention.

Methods: Data from an occupational health supplement to the 2010 National Health Interview Survey were used to estimate the prevalence of self-reported clinician-diagnosed CTS overall and by demographic characteristics. The proportion of these cases self-reported to have been attributed to work by clinicians was also examined overall and by demographic characteristics. In addition, the distribution of industry and occupation (I&O) categories to which work-related cases of CTS were attributed was compared to the distribution of I&O categories of employment among current/recent workers.

Results: Data were available for 27,157 adults, including 17,524 current/recent workers. The overall lifetime prevalence of clinician-diagnosed CTS among current/recent workers was 6.7%. The 12-month prevalence was 3.1%, representing approximately 4.8 million workers with current CTS; 67.1% of these cases were attributed to work by clinicians, with overrepresentation of certain I&O categories.

Conclusions: CTS affected almost 5 million U.S. workers in 2010, with prevalence varying by demographic characteristics and I&O.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure Statement: The authors report no conflicts of interests.

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