Scholarly Article
DERMATOGLYPHIC PATTERNS IN ACUTE MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION: A CASE-CONTROL STUDY FROM A TERTIARY CARE CENTRE IN NORTHERN KARNATAKA
Kulkarni, Vedavyas, Bulagouda, Rudragouda, Badiger, Sharan, Bagoji, Ishwar
2026-09-20 · International Journal of Clinical and Biomedical Research · Sumathi Publications
Abstract
Background: Myocardial infarction is a multifactorial polygenic disorder. The primary dermal ridges and the cardiovascular system differentiate over an overlapping window of intrauterine life, between approximately the tenth and twenty-fourth weeks of gestation, which raises the possibility that a disturbance affecting one may leave a permanent record in the other. Dermatoglyphic patterns are fixed by birth and do not change thereafter, making them a candidate non-invasive marker of antenatal developmental influence. Objectives: To compare qualitative and quantitative dermatoglyphic parameters between patients with acute myocardial infarction and healthy controls, and to assess whether any parameter differs sufficiently to merit further evaluation as a marker of susceptibility. Methods: A prospective case-control study was conducted in the Department of Anatomy of a tertiary care teaching hospital between March 2024 and December 2025. Ninety patients with clinically and electrocardiographically confirmed acute myocardial infarction (45 men, 45 women) and 90 healthy controls (45 men, 45 women), aged 25 to 75 years, were enrolled. Bilateral palmar and digital prints were taken by the standard ink method of Cummins and Midlo and read by observers blinded to group status. Fingertip pattern type, total finger ridge count, 'ab' ridge count and the 'atd' angle were recorded. Proportions were compared by the two-proportion z test and means by the z test for independent samples, with p< 0.05 taken as significant. Results: Whorls were significantly commoner in cases than controls in both sexes (men 34.9% versus 27.8%, z = 2.30, p = 0.021; women 36.2% versus 29.6%, z = 2.13, p = 0.033). Ulnar loops were correspondingly reduced (men 58.9% versus 66.0%, z = 2.20, p = 0.028; women 57.6% versus 64.4%, z = 2.12, p = 0.034). Mean total finger ridge count was significantly higher in cases (men 122.04 ± 10.70 versus 117.26 ± 9.76, z = 2.21, p = 0.027; women 109.24 ± 10.25 versus 103.68 ± 10.81, z = 2.50, p = 0.012). Radial loops, arches, the 'ab' ridge count and the 'atd' angle did not differ significantly in either sex. Conclusion: In this sample, acute myocardial infarction was associated with a reciprocal shift from ulnar loops towards whorls and with a higher total finger ridge count, in both men and women. These are group-level differences of small magnitude with substantial overlap between cases and controls, and they do not by themselves constitute a screening test. They are consistent with the hypothesis that antenatal influences acting during the shared developmental window leave a detectable dermatoglyphic signature, and justify evaluation in larger, prospectively designed samples with formal assessment of discriminative performance. Keywords: Dermatoglyphics; myocardial infarction; coronary artery disease; fingerprint; total finger ridge count; whorl; ulnar loop.
Keywords
Dermatoglyphics, myocardial infarction, coronary artery disease, fingerprint, total finger ridge count, whorl, ulnar loop
Citation Details
International Journal of Clinical and Biomedical Research, Vol. 11, No. 3, pp. 373-380