Association Between Gender, Body Mass Index, and Ulnar Nerve Entrapment at the Elbow: A Retrospective Study

Abstract

Introduction: Entrapment of the ulnar nerve is the second most common compression neuropathy in the upper extremity, but the etiology is multifactorial and still not clearly understood. The authors aimed to determine whether gender and body mass index (BMI) are risk factors for ulnar nerve entrapment (UNE) at the elbow.

Methods: Results of electrodiagnostic studies performed on patients with UNE between January 2008 and February 2013 were examined retrospectively. Patients with BMI <= 22 were considered slender, those with a BMI between 22 and 29, normal, and those with a BMI >29, overweight. The authors compared the data for patients with and without UNE.

Results: A total of 622 subjects were studied; 295 were UNE cases (154 men, 141 women) and 327 were controls (110 men, 217 women). There was no difference between control and UNE groups in terms of BMI. In univariate analysis, age and gender are independent risk factors for UNE, but when included in a stepwise Cox regression model, only gender was a significant factor. Male gender was found to be a risk factor for UNE.

Conclusions: Male gender is a risk factor for developing UNE, but age and BMI are not significant risk factors. Further studies which examine BMI and gender differences with data about occupational risk factors are required.