Table 2.
Diseases and conditions* that were possible or definite causes of hand complaints in the control group (n = 70) in ranked order from most to least prevalent
| Cause of complaints, n (%)† | |
|---|---|
| Rheumatoid arthritis | 26 (37.1) |
| Other inflammatory rheumatic disease‡ | 17 (24.3) |
| Fibromyalgia | 13 (18.6) |
| Psoriatic arthritis | 9 (12.9) |
| Tenosynovitis/trigger finger | 9 (12.9) |
| Nerve entrapment (incl. carpal tunnel syndrome) | 8 (11.4) |
| Other causes§ | 6 (8.6) |
| Repetitive strain injury | 4 (5.7) |
| Hemochromatosis | 3 (4.3) |
| Vitamin D deficiency | 3 (4.3) |
| Ganglion | 2 (2.9) |
| Gout | 2 (2.9) |
| Pseudogout | 1 (1.4) |
| deQuervain’s | 1 (1.4) |
| Diabetes | 1 (1.4) |
| Dupuytren’s contracture | 1 (1.4) |
*The list of 16 prespecified diseases and conditions were given to the treating physician, who marked the relevant disease(s) and condition(s) for each patient.
†Several persons had more than one cause of hand complaints, and the total percentage in the column is therefore exceeding 100.
‡Unspecified arthritis or unknown (n = 10), scleroderma (n = 3), systemic lupus erythematosus (n = 2), palindromic rheumatoid arthritis (n = 1), spondyloarthritis (n = 1).
§Unknown (n = 4), hypermobility (n = 1), erysipelas (n = 1).