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To the Editor: In their survey of Danish workers, Dr Andersen and colleagues¹ found that reports of tingling and numbness in the hand were common in computer users. Furthermore, the authors claimed that particular activities are associated with a low risk of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). As the authors noted, it is probable that a large proportion of individuals with tingling and numbness had conditions other than CTS.

However, the authors did not diagnose CTS clinically. An international consensus panel recommended that the preferred approach to the assessment of CTS in epidemiologic research should include some combination of nerve studies and symptom reports.² Routine neurodiagnostic testing can be difficult and expensive in a large epidemiologic investigation. Given that Andersen et al did not conduct nerve studies for at least a subsample of their participants, it is difficult to assess the degree of specificity of reports of tingling and numbness. However, . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Peter A. Nathan, MD; Kenneth D. Meadows, PT; Joseph A. Istvan, PhD
Portland Hand Surgery and Rehabilitation Center
Portland, Ore

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