Abstract:
Background: Dermatoglyphics has been used widely in fields of medicine as a non-invasive diagnostic tool and an
early assessment of risk for certain medical conditions. It reflects disturbances in fetal development during early
prenatal weeks 14–22 when fingerprints develop. Dermatoglyphic asymmetry has been used to measure
developmental instability during a specific period of human fetal development. Thus, the present study was
planned to investigate whether digital and palmar dermatoglyphics of chronic kidney disease of unknown origin
(CKDu) patients in Sri Lanka are different from healthy people.
Methods: A case control study was carried out among CKDu patients (90 males, 90 females) from a CKDu endemic
area and gender-matched two control groups; one group from a CKDu endemic region (90 males, 90 females) and
another group from a CKDu non-endemic region (90 males, 90 females). Dermatoglyphics were obtained using
photographic methods. Both qualitative and quantitative dermatoglyphic variables were defined and analyzed
according to standard criteria. Both directional (DA) and fluctuating asymmetry (FA) were assessed.
Results: Several qualitative dermatoglyphic variables had significant association with CKDu. The triradii a1 variable was
less evident in palms of CKDu cases in both genders when compared to both control groups. The FA of pattern
discordance (right vs left hands) between CKDu cases and control group were significant in several digits. The FA of
the ridge count was found significant in several digits, and also significant for A-B ridge count and total ridge count.
Conclusion: Based on these results, it is proposed that the mechanisms responsible for the development of CKDu
might be associated with those responsible for FA observed in CKDu patients. Accordingly, a diagnostic tool based on
FA could be developed for predicting risk prior to the development of CKDu
