Italian multicentre study of carpal tunnel syndrome: clinical-neurophysiological picture and diagnostic pathway in 461 patients and differences between the populations enrolled in the northern, central and southern centres. Italian CTS Study Group.

The economic trend in our country, as in other countries, now requires us to pay more attention to the social and economic aspects of health. Therefore, it is important to evaluate the diagnostic pathway and the socioeconomic aspects of pathologies. The Italian CTS Study Group performed a wide multicentre and multidimensional study (through a patient-, physician- and neurophysiologically oriented evaluation) on 461 idiopathic CTS patients to evaluate the clinical-neurophysiological picture and the diagnostic pathway. The whole population and the differences between the populations enrolled in the neurophysiological centres of the northern, central and southern parts of Italy were analysed. This study provided new and interesting information. As concerns the whole population, we observed different diagnostic pathways in relation to the level of schooling. As concerns the comparison of the populations, the southern centres have a population of CTS patients with higher frequency of hand stress and more severe nerve impairment.