title: Evaluation of upper extremity nerve conduction velocities and the relationship between fibromyalgia and carpal tunnel syndrome.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We undertook this study to evaluate upper extremity nerve conduction velocities (NCVs) in fibromyalgia syndrome (FS) and the relationship of the electrophysiological findings between carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) and FS.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty three right-handed female patients diagnosed with FS and 52 right-handed age- and gender-matched healthy controls were enrolled in the study. Conduction studies of the median and ulnar nerves and median nerve F-wave latencies were assessed in both upper extremities using standard methods. CTS was diagnosed electrophysiologically if the median nerve sensory NCV was decreased and/or motor distal latency (DL) was prolonged.
  
  
  RESULTS
  CTS was detected electrophysiologically in 26 (20.63%) of 126 extremities of 63 patients and in three (2.82%) of 104 extremities of 52 individuals of the control group. Statistically significant differences were detected between groups with respect to rate of carpal tunnel syndrome (p <0.05). There were no differences between results of NCVs of patients in FS group and healthy controls except the prolongation of the right median nerve motor DL (p = 0.019), decrease of the sensory NCV (p = 0.003) in the right median nerve, in the left median nerve (p = 0.011) and in the left ulnar nerve (p = 0.015).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We determined an increased rate of CTS and decreased NCVs in the upper extremities in patients with FS. We should consider that complaints of paresthesia and pain in hands, increasing especially at nights, observed in FS may mask that CTS can be an associated illness.
authors: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Ministry of Health, Ankara Training and Research Hospital, Turkey. barisnacir@gmail.com
authors: Baris
authors: B
authors: Nacir
authors: Hakan
authors: H
authors: Genc
authors: Burcu
authors: B
authors: Duyur Cakit
authors: Aynur
authors: A
authors: Karagoz
authors: Hatice R
authors: HR
authors: Erdem
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001132:Arm / Q000294:innervation*; D002349:Carpal Tunnel Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005356:Fibromyalgia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008475:Median Nerve / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009431:Neural Conduction; D015995:Prevalence; D014459:Ulnar Nerve / Q000503:physiopathology*; D055815:Young Adult