Comparative Study of Dermatoglyphic Patterns of Diabetes Mellitus and Diabetic with Hypertension Patients of Hilly Region

Introduction: The study of dermatoglyphics patterns on the digital and palmar region and its association with various diseases, especially having genetic causes, has been reported by various workers in the past. Recently, the number of patients with diabetes and hypertension (HTN) have strikingly increased in the most countries. The prevalence of HTN in patients with Type 2 diabetes is known to be 1.5-3 times higher than in the age-matched non-diabetic population. Materials and Methods: A total of 100 Type 2 diabetic patients (50 males and 50 females) were compared with 100 diabetics with HTN patients. Dermatoglyphics patterns atd, dat, adt angles, absolute finger ridge count (AFRC), total finger ridge count (TFRC), a-b ridge count, main line index, and pattern index line were studied. Results: The mean values of TFRC and AFRC were higher in male and lower in female diabetic group than diabetic with HTN group. The mean values of a-b ridge count were lower in male and higher in female in comparison to diabetic with HTN group, and a significant difference was found. The mean values of atd and adt were higher in diabetic group than diabetic with HTN group. Conclusion: Dermatoglyphics provide a simple, inexpensive, anatomical, and non-invasive means of determining the diseases which have a strong hereditary basis and can be employed as a method of screening for diabetes mellitus of high-risk population on early detection, thus reducing the morbidity and mortality.