Dermatoglyphics in patients with schizophrenia

There are controversial evidences on the association between fingerprint traits and schizophrenia. We compared fingerprint traits of patients with schizophrenia and normal individuals in Iranian population. Fingertip dermal ridge of 290 patients with schizophrenia and 290 normal subjects were studied for four dermal traits. Data was analyzed with Pearson correlation and t-student tests. Fingerprint patterns and secondary creases were not significantly different between the two groups (p > 0.05). Although mean ridge counts of left and right index fingers in the case group were greater than the control group (p < 0.05), the difference was not significant in females. Probably left index ridge counts and fluctuating asymmetry in schizophrenic patients are different from those of the normal population. This difference may serve as a diagnostic biological marker for screening people susceptible to schizophrenia. Further studies are needed to determine the predictive value of fingerprint trait as a schizophrenia biomarker.