Dermatoglyphic studies in congenital heart disease in India.

Finger, palm and toe prints of 91 patients (53 male and 38 female) with congenital heart disease (CHD) were compared with those of 100 control subjects (50 male and 50 female). The CHD group included tetralogy of Fallot (TF), patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), pulmonic stenosis (PS), atrial septal defect (ASD) and ventricular septal defect (VSD). The dermatoglyphic traits studied were finger tip patterns, palmar patterns, toe patterns, presence of accessory triradii, absence of c triradius, total finger ridge count, palmar ridge counts (a-b, b-c, c-d, a-d and t-d), main line index and pattern intensity index. When CHD was considered as a whole and when individual classifications of CHD were considered separately, significant differences from the controls were observed in some of the parameters. But, in general, the parameters showing significant differences were not the same from one category to next. However, one parameter stood out for its consistency. There was a considerable decrease in the t-d ridge count in all the categories of CHD studied, showing a distal displacement of the axial triradius to the t' position.