Factors Related to Quality of Life in Patients with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objectives: To determine the association between the quality of life (QoL) of patients diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) by electrodiagnostic study (EDX) and CTS severity, as well as to identify other associated factors Study design: Cross-sectional study Setting: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University Subjects: A total of 140 CTS participants diagnosed by EDX including patients aged 18 or over, who were able to communicate in Thai, were fully conscious, and were willing to participate in this research. Methods: Participants were recruited and asked to complete the questionnaire about demographic and clinical characteristics related to CTS, the Boston questionnaire (Thai version), the Thai version of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (Thai HADS), and the EQ-5D-5L questionnaire. The data from questionnaires and the EDX results were collected and analyzed. Results: Utility scores of the EQ-5D-5L questionnaire were correlated with Boston functional severity score (FSS) (r =-0.603, p < 0.001), Boston symptom severity score (SSS) (r =-0.546, p < 0.001), and anxiety (p=0.004). The electrophysiological severity had no association with patients’ QoL (r_s = 0.079, p = 0.354). Health visual analog scale (VAS) scores were correlated with anxiety, Boston functional severity score, and leisure activity. Other factors studied, e.g., age and income, were not associated with the patient’s QoL. Conclusions: CTS patients’ QoL is correlated with the subjective symptom severity, functional severity, anxiety, and the inability to participate in leisure activities, but not electrophysiologic severity.