[Diagnosis, etiopathogenesis and therapy of carpal tunnel syndrome].

This is a retrospective study analyzing the operation records of 637 patients cured for carpal tunnel syndrome. No statistical difference could be demonstrated between the mean age of female compared to male. However a highly significant statistical difference between age distribution in between sex could be demonstrated (p = 0.0015). 61.3% of the female (male: 47.6%) are affected by the disease between 40 and 65 years and only 16.4% (male 27.6%) later on. Under 40 years of age both sex are affected in the same proportion. This confirms that hormonal factors related to sex play a major role in the etiology of this disease affecting mainly women (71%). On the contrary, combined pathology as tendovaginitis, ulnaris neuropathy at the elbow, synovitis bound to rheumatoid arthritis and epicondylitis were equally distributed between sex.