THE US PREVALENCE OF SELF-REPORTED CARPAL-TUNNEL-SYNDROME - 1988 NATIONAL-HEALTH INTERVIEW SURVEY DATA

To estimate the prevalence of carpal tunnel syndrome among US adults, data from the Occupational Health Supplement of the 1988 National Heal th Interview Survey were analyzed. Based on a sample of 44 233 househo lds (response rate, 91.5%), an estimated 1.55% (2.65 million) of 170 m illion adults self-reported carpal tunnel syndrome in 1988. Females an d Whites had a higher prevalence of self-reporting carpal tunnel syndr ome than males and non-Whites, respectively. Among 127 million adults who worked during the 12 months before the survey, 0.53% (0.68 million ) reported that their ''prolonged'' hand discomfort was called carpal tunnel syndrome by a health care provider.