Disparity Between Popular (Internet) and Scientific Illness Concepts of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Causation

PurposeTo determine whether there are notable disparities between popular (Internet) and scientific (Index Medicus) theories of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) causation.MethodsReports from 3 sources were evaluated with regard to support for etiological theories of CTS: 1) patient-oriented information on CTS from the Internet, 2) recent physician-oriented information on CTS from medical journals indexed on Index Medicus, and 3) articles addressing the etiology of CTS from the 1997 National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health report. Multiple logistic regression analyses evaluated differences in etiological theories from the 3 sources.ResultsInternet sites implicated vitamin B6 deficiency, tenosynovitis, and typing or computer use as causes for idiopathic CTS considerably more often and genetic predisposition considerably less often than recent Index Medicus scientific reports and reports reviewed by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.ConclusionsThere are notable disparities between popular (Internet) and scientific (Index Medicus) theories of CTS causation.