[A case of focal hand dystonia combined with carpal tunnel syndrome in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso)].

INTRODUCTION

Focal hand dystonia and carpal tunnel syndrome are linked to impairment of the central and peripheral nervous systems, respectively. We report a singular case combining these two entities.

CASE REPORT: A 44-year-old right-handed male pharmacy employee whose daily activity for 18 years was to fill out and staple insurance vouchers and unload and store boxes of medicines, presented, almost concomitantly, the combination of right focal hand dystonia and homolateral carpal tunnel syndrome.

CONCLUSION

This observation corroborates the results of experimental studies on repetitive manual activity which would be a source of central and peripheral changes, affecting the hand somatotopy in the sensory-motor cortex and the descending control of basal ganglia, explaining dystonia, and leading to median nerve compression related to repeated microtrauma, inflammatory reactions and fibrosis of the carpal tunnel.