Psychological distress is associated with early ultrasound-detected median nerve changes in asymptomatic young adults

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a common compressive neuropathy, caused by entrapment of the median nerve within the carpal tunnel. CTS has a vast range of symptoms, resulting in sensory and motor dysfunction of the hand. Whether psychosocial factors are associated with CTS remains obscure.

The present study examined the relationship between median nerve ultrasonographic cross-sectional area (CSA) and stress and depression among asymptomatic young individuals. The study involved 169 healthy Greek medical students (67 men and 102 women). Age, gender, dominant hand, medical history, daily hours of computer use, and family background were recorded.

Two validated psychiatric questionnaires estimating stress and anxiety were self-completed. Median nerve status was examined using ultrasonography. A CSA of 12 mm² pathological.

Data were analyzed using Pearson linear correlation and t-test. Mean CSA of the median nerve was 0.082 cm (SD = 0.018). Total daily time of computer use was positively correlated with CSA (p = 0.012).

Mean Zung Scale Score for depression was 38.89 (± 8.76), while STAI-Y1 and STAI-Y2 for anxiety estimation were 37.28 (± 9.78) and 41.14 (± 11.21) respectively. CSA of the median nerve was positively associated with ZUNG (p = 0.001), STAI-Y1 (p