Raynaud's phenomenon in idiopathic carpal tunnel syndrome.

Both carpal tunnel syndrome and Raynaud's phenomonon are common conditions in the general population. These two different conditions frequently cause similar symptoms such as tingling, numbness, and "deadness of the fingers". They may also co-exist for instance in scleroderma or rheumatoid arthritis. In order to study the association, if any, between these two conditions, we studied 93 patients with idiopathic carpal tunnel syndrome confirmed in electro-physiological tests with 57 control subjects, for the presence of Raynaud's phenomenon by means of a previously validated questionnaire. Raynaud's phenomenon was detected significantly more frequently (P = 0.002) in patients with idiopathic carpal tunnel syndrome (36%) compared to control subjects (12%). Thus there appears to be an association between these two conditions. The mechanism for this is not clear. Sympathetic dysfunction may play a part. Practitioners should be aware of the similarity of the symptoms and the possibility that the two conditions may co-exist.

A double-blind comparison of naproxen with indomethacin in osteoarthrosis.

Twenty-two patients with osteoarthrosis of one or both knee joints and 28 patients with osteoarthrosis of one or both hips completed a double-blind trial of 500 mg naproxen daily versus 100 mg indomethacin daily. All patients had been on other active medication up to the start of the trial. Identical trial designs were followed with both classes of patients, namely, a crossover pattern of four weeks on each drug with patients being assessed at -2, 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks. Assessments made included objective measurement of joint range, stair climbing and walking times, and subjective grading of pain present during normal activity, of which the patient kept a daily record. Patients were also questioned at each clinic visit regarding possible side effects. Study groups were comparable for both drugs. In the majority of subjective and objective parameters, there were significant improvements from baseline on both drugs of statistically comparable magnitude. Significantly fewer side effects were noted during the period on naproxen compared with those on indomethacin. There were no abnormalities discovered in hematologic or biochemical tests performed during the course of the trial.