The US prevalence of self-reported carpal tunnel syndrome: 1988 National Health Interview Survey data.

To estimate the prevalence of carpal tunnel syndrome among US adults, data from the Occupational Health Supplement of the 1988 National Health Interview Survey were analyzed. Based on a sample of 44,233 households (response rate, 91.5%), an estimated 1.55% (2.65 million) of 170 million adults self-reported carpal tunnel syndrome in 1988. Females and Whites had a higher prevalence of self-reporting carpal tunnel syndrome than males and non-Whites, respectively. Among 127 million adults who worked during the 12 months before the survey, 0.53% (0.68 million) reported that their "prolonged" hand discomfort was called carpal tunnel syndrome by a health care provider.