1Sri Venkateshwaraa Medical College Hospital & Research Centre, Puducherry
2Associate Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine, Velammal Medical College Hospital & Research Center, Madurai -625009
3Department of General Medicine, Sri Venkateshwaraa Medical College Hospital & Research Centre, Puducherry
4Department of Forensic Medicine, Sri Lakshmi Narayana Institute of Medical Sciences, Puducherry
5Department of Physiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Madurai
*Corresponding Author: Dr. J. James Rajesh, Associate Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine, Velammal Medical College Hospital & Research Center, Madurai625009. Email: james_rajesh143@yahoo.com
Online published on 5 August, 2022.
Dermatoglyphics is a branch of genetics concerned with the analysis of patterns of integumentary fine ridges of fingers, palms and soles.The development of dermatoglyphic patterns is under genetic control and in general the genetics are multifactorial and highly complex. Abnormal dermatoglyphic patterns have been observed in several non-chromosomal genetic disorders and other diseases whose etiology may be influenced, directly or indirectly, by genetic inheritance. Hence if a meaningful association can be established between dermatoglyphic patterns and bronchial asthma it may be of use in screening the general populations at a very low cost.
The aim of the study is to determine and compare the dermatoglyphic pattern among asthmatic and non-asthamatic individuals of South India.
It's a cross sectional comparative study, conducted among the study group of adults with bronchial asthma and the control group of non asthmatic individuals. The total sample size was 132 with 66 in each group. The finger prints of patients and controls were taken by INK Method. The printed sheets were subjected for detailed analysis with the magnifying hand lens.
In bronchial asthma group the frequency of whorl was increased and the frequency of loop& arch was reduced. This pattern was observed on all the ten fingers and was found to be statistically significant on analysis by Chi-Square test.
In the clinical practice, in addition to clinical history, examination and investigations, dermatoglyphics can also be used in revealing the genetic susceptibility to bronchial asthma. If these genetic features were identified at the earliest, susceptible people can be recognized before the onset of the disease and necessary preventive measures can be undertaken.
Dermatoglyphics, Bronchial Asthma, Early Detection
