Fact · Accessibility and health
In the same study, the authors found that bilateral symptoms, age of 45 or older and weakness at the thumb base predicted carpal tunnel syndrome in both hands.
Checked against its source on October 17, 2026
In the source's own words
“bilateral CTS was predicted with adequate diagnostic accuracy by bilateral symptoms, age ≥ 45 years, and thenar muscle weakness”
Prevalence and predictive factors for bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome by electrodiagnosis: A retrospective study, Apiradee Singjam and Kanchana Charoentanyarak, PLoS One, 2021, Conclusion.
Open the original (DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0260578)- What it measures
- The predictors came from a multivariate analysis of the 327 patients. Thenar muscle weakness means weakness of the muscles at the base of the thumb, which the nerve supplies.
- What it does not show
- A retrospective analysis from one hospital. The predictors help estimate the chance of both-hand disease in a tested group; they do not show that any one factor causes it.