Incidence of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome After the Diagnosis of Ulnar Neuropathy.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to determine whether patients diagnosed with ulnar nerve lesions (UNLs) have an increased risk of developing carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS).

METHODS

A retrospective cohort study was conducted using the TriNetX database, which contains data of >100 million patients. We identified 360,021 patients with UNLs and matched them 1:1 with controls. The incidence of CTS was assessed at 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 years following the diagnosis of UNL. Statistical analyses were used to evaluate the development of CTS in the UNL cohort compared with controls.

RESULTS

Patients with UNL demonstrated a significantly higher risk of developing CTS at all time points. At 1 year post-UNL diagnosis, the risk of CTS was 10.4% in the UNL group versus 3.1% in controls (P < .0001). This difference persisted throughout the 5-year period. Odds ratios similarly indicated a significantly greater likelihood of CTS development in patients with UNL.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with a history of UNLs are at a significantly increased risk of developing CTS, especially within the first 2 years. This supports the hypothesis that ulnar nerve pathology may precede and increase susceptibility to median nerve compression.

TYPE OF STUDY/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic III.