Dermatoglyphic Study in Bipolar Disorder

The word dermatoglyphics means writing on the skin. This includes ridge patterns on skin of palms, digits and soles. Finger patterns are definitely constitutional in nature. Both finger and palm prints give clue to various pathological conditions in human being.

The present dermatoglyphic study was conducted on fifty males and fifty females in the age group of 18–60 years, diagnosed as bipolar disorder cases, who attended the psychiatric outdoor or were admitted in the wards of psychiatric department, Jawahar Lal Nehru Hospital, Ajmer, Rajasthan.

The Total Finger Ridge Count (TFRC) and a-b ridge counts were found to be decreased in the bipolar diseased group. The mean ‘atd’ angle on both the hands considered together is found to be greater in the bipolar cases compared to the normal i.e. 90.22º in males and 92.46º in females bipolar cases compared to the control with mean angle 80.46º and 82.46º respectively in males and females (in males p= 0.0001, in females p= 0.0002). The frequency of whorls were increased in patients compared to the controls (p<0.001).

Dermatoglyphics, a non-invasive method, could serve as a screening indicator for the follow up of individuals in threatened families. The study was aimed at establishing a correlation between occurance of bipolar affective disorder and the dermatoglyphics of hand which depends on genetic factors. On the basis of probability, one can correlate the dermatoglyphic pattern to bipolar disorder.