Cigarette Smoking Is Associated With Cubital Tunnel Syndrome.

INTRODUCTION

The aim of this study was to validate the potential association between cigarette smoking and cubital tunnel syndrome (CubTS).

METHODS

One hundred patients with CubTS were compared with 100 controls with ulnar abutment syndrome matched for age, gender, and body mass index. The smoking status was compared between patients and controls using the sign test and the Wilcoxon signed rank test. Conditional logistic regression was used to calculate the association between CubTS and pack-years smoked.

RESULTS

A significant association was found between increased pack-years smoked and CubTS. A significant difference in the number of never smokers and ever smokers was observed between the patients with CubTS and controls. The difference in mean pack-years in the patients and controls was highly significant. A dose-dependent association with pack-years was found between patients and controls.

CONCLUSIONS

High cumulative cigarette smoking is associated with CubTS. Muscle Nerve 54: 1136-1138, 2016.