Risk factors associated with CTS:
(1) pregnancy
(2) lactation
(3) use of oral contraceptives
(4) menopause or after bilateral oophorectomy
(5) hemodialysis
(6) amyloidosis
(7) paraplegia
(8) idiopathic torsion dystonia
(9) occupational exposure (hard physical effort with hands, repetitive wrist movements, vibration)
(10) excessive fat in the carpal tunnel
(11) anomalies of the carpal bones
(12) fracture of the carpal bones
(13) flexor tenosynovitis
(14) rheumatoid arthritis
(15) other rheumatologic disorders (scleroderma, Sjogren's, inflammatory joint disease)
(16) tophaceous gout
(17) pseudogout
(18) septic arthritis of the wrist
(19) infectious tenosynovitis involving the wrist
(20) mycobacterial infection
(21) Lyme borreliosis
(22) lipoma, fibroma or other soft tissue tumors in the carpal tunnel
(23) bone tumors impinging the carpal tunnel (osteochondroma, other)
(24) vascular thrombosis
(25) vasculitis
(26) aneurysm in the carpal tunnel
(27) hemorrhage into the carpal tunnel
(28) diabetes mellitus
(29) hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism
(30) acromegaly
(31) osteopetrosis
(32) Hurler or Hunter Syndrome
(33) pachydermoperiostosis
(34) congenital vascular anomaly (persistence of median artery, other)
(35) bifid median nerve
(36) cyst or cyst-like structures in the carpal tunnel
(37) anomalous flexor tendon
(38) congenital muscle anomaly (aberrant, other)
(39) proximal origin of lumbrical muscles with muscular hyptrophy
Some cases have no identified risk factors (idiopathic or primary).
