Fact · Accessibility and health
A 2016 meta-analysis of 23 studies found that rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis were both associated with carpal tunnel syndrome.
Checked against its source on October 16, 2026
In the source's own words
“Both RA and OA were associated with CTS.”
Arthritis as a risk factor for carpal tunnel syndrome: a meta-analysis, R. Shiri, Scandinavian Journal of Rheumatology, 2016, Abstract, Results.
Open the original (DOI 10.3109/03009742.2015.1114141)- What it measures
- The authors pooled 23 observational studies of carpal tunnel syndrome in people with and without arthritis. RA is rheumatoid arthritis, an inflammatory joint disease. OA is osteoarthritis, the wear-and-tear type.
- What it does not show
- An association across observational studies. It does not show that arthritis causes carpal tunnel syndrome, and it does not give the risk for any one person.