title: Sonographic diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome: a study in 200 hospital workers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the prevalence of carpal tunnel syndrome in a sample of 200 healthy hospital workers, establishing the respective epidemiological associations.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two hundred individuals were submitted to wrist ultrasonography to measure the median nerve area. They were questioned and examined for epidemiological data, body mass index, carpal tunnel syndrome signs and symptoms, and submitted to the Boston carpal tunnel questionnaire (BCTQ) to evaluate the carpal tunnel syndrome severity. A median nerve area ≥ 9 mm(2) was considered to be diagnostic of carpal tunnel syndrome.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Carpal tunnel syndrome was diagnosed by ultrasonography in 34% of the sample. It was observed the association of carpal tunnel syndrome with age (p < 0.0001), paresthesia (p < 0.0001), Tinel's test (p < 0.0001), Phalen's test (p < 0.0001), BCTQ score (p < 0.0001), and years of formal education (p < 0.0001). Years of formal education was the only variable identified as an independent risk factor for carpal tunnel syndrome (95% CI = 1.03 to 1.24).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of carpal tunnel syndrome in a population of hospital workers was of 34%. The number of years of formal education was the only independent risk factor for carpal tunnel syndrome.
authors.affiliation: Master, MD, Radiologist, Postgraduate student of Ultrasonography, Computed Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging at Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, São Paulo, Part Time Dedication, Fellow PhD degree, Instituto de Pesquisas Médicas, Faculdade Evangélica do Paraná - Hospital Universitário Evangélico de Curitiba, Curitiba, PR, Brazil.
authors.forename: Adham do Amaral E
authors.initials: Ado A
authors.lastname: Castro
authors.affiliation: PhD, MD, Rheumatologist, Head of Rheumatology Service, Hospital Universitário Evangélico de Curitiba, Full Professor of Rheumatology, Faculdade Evangélica do Paraná, Curitiba, PR, Brazil.
authors.forename: Thelma Larocca
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Skare
authors.affiliation: PhD, MD, Digestive System Surgeon, Head of the Service of Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery, Hospital Universitário Evangélico de Curitiba, Associate Professor of Traumatology, Surgical Practice II and Scientific Methodology at Faculdade Evangélica do Paraná, Curitiba, PR, Brazil.
authors.forename: Paulo Afonso Nunes
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Nassif
authors.affiliation: MD, Scientific Research student of Instituto de Pesquisas Médicas da Faculdade Evangélica do Paraná - Hospital Universitário Evangélico de Curitiba, Curitiba, PR, Brasil.
authors.forename: Alexandre Kaue
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Sakuma
authors.affiliation: MD, Radiologist, Trainee in Locomotor System Radiology at Hospital Alemão Oswaldo Cruz, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Wagner Haese
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Barros
keywords: Carpal tunnel syndrome; Hand pain; Hand paresthesia; Median nerve area; Ultrasonography