gms | German Medical Science

Objectives: To assess the association, prevalence and risk factors of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) symptoms among users of electronic devices.

Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among general population of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia with a total of 800 questionnaires. It included socio-demographic data, patterns of electronic devices use, and a standardized questionnaire „Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire(BCTQ)“. Common risk factors were excluded, such as diabetes mellitus, rheumatoid arthritis, thyroid, gout, current pregnancy, cervical and hand problems.

Results: The response rate was 89% of 500 offline and 211 online forms. Data analysis revealed that 50% of all participants were moderately-severely symptomatic. Out of which, 42.4% were medically free in which 23.6% had severe symptoms. Smartphone was the most device used accounting for 93%. There was significant statistical association with the age groups (p= 0.02), in which the prevalence increased among the younger population (<30 year). However, there was no relation with the patterns of electronic devices use.

Conclusion: Despite the high prevalence, there was no significant association between the patterns of use and CTS symptoms.

Recommendation: The high prevalence of CTS symptoms necessitates awareness programs especially among young population. Although this study did not prove the association, other study design can be used with further clinical diagnosis.