Increased Risk of Coronary Artery Disease in People with a Previous Diagnosis of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: A Nationwide Retrospective Population-Based Case-Control Study

BACKGROUND: Existing literature suggests that an association exists between coronary artery disease (CAD) and carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), but few researchers have explored whether CTS is a risk for CAD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This large case-control study explored the association between CTS and CAD, using health insurance claims data from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) between January 2000 and December 2013. International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) diagnostic codes identified 70,622 patients with CAD (ICD-9-CM codes 410–414; cases); 70,622 patients without CAD were frequency-matched by age, sex, and index year of CAD and served as controls. RESULTS: The likelihood of a previous diagnosis of CTS (ICD-9-CM codes 354.0, 354.1) was significantly higher in the CAD group than in the comparison control group (crude OR: 1.75, 95% CI 1.63-1.89; p<0.0001; adjusted OR: 1.46, 95% CI 1.34-1.58; p<0.0001). CONCLUSION: A significant positive correlation was observed between CAD and a previous diagnosis of CTS.