Evaluation of Functional and Symptomatic Outcomes After Vitamin D 3 Administration in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome With Hypovitaminosis D

Abstract

Background

Vitamin D deficiency is now recognized as an independent risk factor and is involved in the pathogenesis of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of vitamin D₃ supplementation on functional and symptomatic outcomes in CTS patients with vitamin D deficiency.

Methods

This was a prospective, single-arm study with a pretreatment or posttreatment quasi-experimental design. Carpal tunnel syndrome patients with vitamin D deficiency were treated with vitamin D₃ (60 000 IU/week) plus standard treatment for a period of 3 months. Carpal tunnel syndrome–related pain and functional and symptomatic outcomes were assessed at baseline and at 3 months posttreatment using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and the Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire, respectively, along with serum vitamin D.

Results

A total of 42 patients were analyzed. At 3 months posttreatment, there was a significant reduction in the severity of pain (VAS score) from baseline (Z = −5.71, P < .001). Similarly, the functional and symptomatic outcomes (Boston symptoms severity scale [SSS] and Boston functional status scale [FSS] score) at 3 months posttreatment significantly improved in comparison with baseline (Boston SSS: Z = −5.66, P < .001; Boston FSS: Z = −5.68, P < .001).

Conclusions

Vitamin D₃ supplementation was associated with improvement in functional and symptomatic outcomes and CTS-related pain in CTS with vitamin deficiency. However, further robust randomized controlled trials are warranted to validate the results.