Frequency of median mononeuropathy in patients with mild diabetic neuropathy in the early diabetes intervention trial (EDIT)

Abstract

We used electrophysiologic criteria to identify median mononeuropathy (MM) of the nondominant wrist among 414 patients enrolled in a multicenter study of patients with mild diabetic neuropathy, according to consensus recommendations. Patients with absent sural or peroneal responses or greater than mild symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome were ineligible. Ninety-five of 414 participants (23%) fulfilled criteria for MM, independent of diabetes type. Patients with MM had a longer duration of diabetes than remaining patients, independent of age, and patients with MM and type II diabetes were more likely to be female (34% vs. 19%; P = 0.008), shorter (165.7 vs. 172.7 cm; P = 0.001), and have a higher body mass index (32.5 vs. 29.1; P = 0.0008) than remaining type II patients. Sural or peroneal conduction abnormalities did not influence the frequency of MM. These results suggest that patients with diabetic neuropathy require special consideration with regard to the evaluation of suspected carpal tunnel syndrome. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.