Dermatoglyphics of fullterm and premature infants.

Prematurity is a leading cause of neonatal mortality and morbidity, and frequently its cause is unknown. There are implications in the literature that, as in spontaneous abortion, genetic factors play a role in prematurity. Dermatoglyphics is a non-invasive and inexpensive method of studying genetic factors. Patterns of the epidermal ridges are indicators of genetic traits and have been shown to be consistently unusual in populations with genetic defects. Dermatoglyphic changes have been found in diseases involving structural defects of the chromosomes as well as diseases transmitted through a single gene, through polygenetic inheritance and through unknown modes of transmission. The purpose of this study was to investigate the genetic component in the etiology of premature labor by studying the dermatoglyphic patterns of a group of premature and full term infants. It was expected that those infants who had no observable cause for prematurity and those of shorter gestation would have more unusual dermatoglyphic features than those who were induced or survived a longer gestation. A sample of full term and premature infants was selected. A history was obtained of the mother, the pregnancy and the infant. The gestational age of the infant was determined. The dermal ridges were observed directly with and opthalmascope and the observations were recorded and statistically analyzed. Certain differences emerged between the groups. Premature infants had higher morbidity rats. Their mothers were younger, of lower parity and had more obstetrical complications. The dermatoglyphic data did not demonstrate statistically significant differences between the groups. The prelatures' palms were longer in comparison with their width (p < .001), relative to the full term group. Further research is indicated. The dermatoglyphic technique was not useful as a screening tool for genetic defects, nor did it support the hypothesis that premature infants may be genetically distinct from full term babies. Dermatoglyphic can serve as a useful adjunct to diagnosis in cases of suspected genetic anomaly. The study verified that the technique of direct visualization is practical and established the distribution of dermatoglyphic patterns in the Intermountain population.