Conclusion There is insufficient epidemiological evidence that computer work causes CTS
Background This review examines evidence for an association between  computer work and carpal tunnel syndrome ( CTS ) .
The context of a study influences the reporting of symptoms
Objectives To study whether different information on a study may influence the reporting of symptoms suspected to be related to poor indoor climate at the workplace or at home . Methods A question naire was mailed to a r and om sample ( n=4,000 ) of the general population in Denmark . The participants were r and omly allocated to two study groups , each group receiving a slightly different information letter . There were 2,710 subjects ( 67.8 % ) who completed the question naire , and 2,164 subjects , who were in employment , were included in the study . All subjects were informed that the purpose of the study was to assess the prevalence of non-specific symptoms related to the indoor climate at work and in dwellings . However , in the letter to one study group it was stated that knowledge was especially lacking about health effects related to the indoor climate at work ( n=1,468 ) . To the other study group the words at work were replaced with at home ( n=696 ) . The question naires were similar for each study group . Results The prevalence rates of symptoms were similar , but reporting of work-relatedness and home-relatedness differed considerably between the two study groups . If the information letter focused slightly more on the workplace than the home , the subjects were more likely to report that their symptoms were work-related ( significant unadjusted odds ratios ( ORs ) between 1.8 and 5.5 ) . We found that adjusting the results for several confounders mainly led to higher estimates of ORs . Likewise , the subjects reported more home-related symptoms if focus was on the environment at home ( significant unadjusted ORs between 5.7 and 20.6 ) . Conclusions The information about a study may play an important role in the reporting of symptoms
Conclusion There is insufficient epidemiological evidence that computer work causes CTS
Background This review examines evidence for an association between  computer work and carpal tunnel syndrome ( CTS ) .