Dermatoglyphics of digitopalmar complex in forty male patients affected by rheumatoid arthritis - quantitative analysis

Quantitative analysis of digitopalmar ridge count was performed in forty male patients with rheumatoid arthritis to evaluation of genetic factors in that disease. Twenty five variables (ridge count on each of ten fingers, their sum on five and ten fingers, four traits on each palm, i. e. ridge count between a-b, b-c and c-d triradii, their sum on each and both palm and at angle on two palms and their bilateral sum) were determined. The data thus obtained were compared with digitopalmar prints of 200 healthy men who served as a control group. A significant difference from the control group was found in eight variables. Ridge count was increased on the first and fifth finger bilaterally, on the fourth right finger tip, and their sum on each, and both fists. Accordingly, a polygenic system identical in some loci to the polygenic system predisposing to rheumatoid arthritis susceptibility might be found responsible for the dermatoglyphic pattern development. That means that they could used, and that is the aim of this study, as a diagnostic tool in rheumatic diseases.
Kvantitativna analiza digitopalmarnih dermatoglifa provedena je u četrdesetorice muškaraca s reumatoidnim artritisom zbog procjene udjela genetičkih čimbenika u toj bolesti. Ispitano je 25 varijabli (broj kožnih grebenova na svakom od deset prstiju, njihov zbroj na pet i deset prstiju, četiri značajke na dlanovima: broj grebenova između a-b, b-c i c-d triradijusa, zatim njihov zbroj na svakom dlanu i obostrano, te atd kutovi na svakom dlanu i njihov obostrani zbroj). Dobiveni podaci uspoređeni su s dvjesto pari otisaka zdravih muškaraca koji su poslužili kao kontrolna skupina. Statistički značajne razlike u odnosu na kontrolnu skupinu, u smislu povećanog broja grebenova, nađene su na prvom i petom prstu obostrano, te četvrtom desno, zatim njihovu zbroju na svakoj šaci posebno i obje zajedno. Prema tome, moguće je pretpostaviti kako je poligenetički sustav odgovoran za razvoj dermatoglifa identičan s nekim lokusima za oboljevanje od reumatoidnog artritisa u muškaraca, što znači kako bi se dermatoglifi mogli iskoristiti kao dijagnostičko sredstvo u reumatskim bolestima.