Evaluation of upper limb disability in pregnant women suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a collection of sensory-motor signs and symptoms which are created due to mechanical pressure on median nerve at wrist. A considerable portion of these patients are pregnant women. The aim of this study was evaluate functional disabilities of upper limb due to CTS in pregnant women. A descriptive and analytical study was performed on 267 pregnant women, who had received health care service in Obstetrics and Gynecology clinics of Shariati & Sepahan hospitals in Isfahan Iran, 2005. From the total number of the pregnant women, 52 women who were affected by carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) and 54 women who had not shown the symptoms of CTS were divided in two different groups. Minor and background data were obtained from conversation and physical examination. Scores of functional disability of upper limb were obtained from DASH questionnaire. Student’s t test and Man-Whitney test were used to compare the difference between groups. 52 out of 267 pregnant women (19.47%) suffered from carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) with average age of 25±4.3 years. 51.9% of the women were experiencing their first pregnancy (primigravida). 82.7% of the pregnant women affected carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) in third trimester of their pregnancy. The average weight gain in affected carpal tunnel syndrome women was significantly more than the asymptomatic women (P<0.001). The total score and mean score of other parts of DASH scoring system in affected carpal tunnel syndrome women were significantly higher than the asymptomatic women (P<0.001). Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) in pregnant women, especially during third trimester, can lead to functional disabilities in their upper limb. As a result, it can cause undesirable effects on personal efficiency. So, it is needed to teach and give more information to the pregnant women about these disabilities.