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Fingerprint ridge-count difference between adjacent fingertips (dR45) predicts upper-body tissue distribution:
H S Kahn1, R Ravindranath, R Valdez
1Division of Diabetes Translation, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30341, USA. hsk1@cdc.gov
American Journal of Epidemiology
|February 24, 2001
Summary
Fingerprint ridge count differences may indicate early fetal growth patterns. An increased difference between the right fourth and fifth fingertips (dR45) is linked to upper-body fat distribution and potentially reduced survivorship.
Area of Science:
- Anthropology
- Developmental Biology
- Medical Genetics
Background:
- Fingerprint ridge counts are established by the 19th week of gestation and correlate with fingertip growth.
- Neurologically, fingers map to spinal cord segments C6 (thumb) to C8 (fifth finger).
- Disparities in ridge counts between fingers may signal developmental variations in fetal growth.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between anthropometric measures of body fat distribution and fingerprint ridge count differences.
- To explore the relationship between fingerprint ridge count differences and age as an indicator of survivorship, particularly in individuals with diabetes.
Main Methods:
- The study analyzed 20 fingerprint ridge-count differences in relation to waist-to-thigh ratio in 69 male military recruits.
- Associations between age and fingerprint ridge count differences were examined in 135 male patients, including those with diabetes.
Main Results:
- A significant association was found between waist-to-thigh ratio and the ridge-count difference between the right fourth and fifth fingertips (dR45).
- Age was inversely associated with dR45, with a notable trend in men with diabetes.
- An increased dR45 suggests an upper-body tissue distribution pattern established before mid-pregnancy.
Conclusions:
- The fingerprint ridge count difference (dR45) may serve as a predictor of early developmental patterns influencing body composition.
- These developmental patterns, originating before mid-pregnancy, could be linked to long-term health outcomes and survivorship.
- The precise causes of these developmental variations remain to be elucidated.