Journal article
Personal and workplace psychosocial risk factors for carpal tunnel syndrome: a pooled study cohort
Occupational and environmental medicine (London, England), Vol.70(8), pp.529-537
08/01/2013
DOI: 10.1136/oemed-2013-101365
PMCID: PMC4508843
PMID: 23645610
Abstract
Background Between 2001 and 2010, six research groups conducted coordinated multiyear, prospective studies of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) incidence in US workers from various industries and collected detailed subject-level exposure information with follow-up symptom, physical examination, electrophysiological measures and job changes.
Objective This analysis of the pooled cohort examined the incidence of dominant-hand CTS in relation to demographic characteristics and estimated associations with occupational psychosocial factors and years worked, adjusting for confounding by personal risk factors.
Methods 3515 participants, without baseline CTS, were followed-up to 7years. Case criteria included symptoms and an electrodiagnostic study consistent with CTS. Adjusted HRs were estimated in Cox proportional hazard models. Workplace biomechanical factors were collected but not evaluated in this analysis.
Results Women were at elevated risk for CTS (HR=1.30; 95% CI 0.98 to 1.72), and the incidence of CTS increased linearly with both age and body mass index (BMI) over most of the observed range. High job strain increased risk (HR=1.86; 95% CI 1.11 to 3.14), and social support was protective (HR=0.54; 95% CI 0.31 to 0.95). There was an inverse relationship with years worked among recent hires with the highest incidence in the first 3.5years of work (HR=3.08; 95% CI 1.55 to 6.12).
Conclusions Personal factors associated with an increased risk of developing CTS were BMI, age and being a woman. Workplace risk factors were high job strain, while social support was protective. The inverse relationship between CTS incidence and years worked among recent hires suggests the presence of a healthy worker survivor effect in the cohort.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Personal and workplace psychosocial risk factors for carpal tunnel syndrome: a pooled study cohort
- Creators
- Carisa Harris-Adamson - University of California, BerkeleyEllen A. Eisen - University of California, BerkeleyAnn Marie Dale - Washington University in St. Louis School of MedicineBradley Evanoff - Washington University in St. Louis School of MedicineKurt T. Hegmann - Rocky Mountain University of Health ProfessionsMatthew S. Thiese - Rocky Mountain University of Health ProfessionsJay M. Kapellusch - University of Wisconsin–MilwaukeeArun Garg - University of Wisconsin–MilwaukeeSusan Burt - National Institute for Occupational Safety and HealthStephen Bao - United States Department of StateBarbara Silverstein - United States Department of StateFred Gerr - University of IowaLinda Merlino - University of IowaDavid Rempel - University of California, San Francisco
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Occupational and environmental medicine (London, England), Vol.70(8), pp.529-537
- DOI
- 10.1136/oemed-2013-101365
- PMID
- 23645610
- PMCID
- PMC4508843
- NLM abbreviation
- Occup Environ Med
- ISSN
- 1351-0711
- eISSN
- 1470-7926
- Publisher
- Bmj Publishing Group
- Number of pages
- 9
- Grant note
- R01OH009712 / Center for Disease Control/National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; United States Department of Health & Human Services; Centers for Disease Control & Prevention - USA; National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH) R01OH009712 / NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH; United States Department of Health & Human Services; Centers for Disease Control & Prevention - USA; National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH)
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 08/01/2013
- Academic Unit
- Occupational and Environmental Health; Epidemiology
- Record Identifier
- 9984363620602771
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