DERMATOGLYPHS OF PATIENTS SUFFERING FROM RHEUMATIC DISEASES OF VARIOUS ETIOLOGIES

Mutations and genetic diseases, caused by genome disorders, frequently manifest at the phenotypic level and, especially, at the dermatoglyphic level, that makes it possible to use dermatoglyphs as markers of any genetic diseases. Rheumatic diseases is a group of disorders, characterized by systemic conjunctive tissue damage, essentially, connected with immune system pathology. Systemic progressive disorganization of conjunctive tissue is morphological base for the whole group of rheumatic diseases. Rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis are multifactorial and difficult-to-diagnose in the early stages diseases, that indicates the need to identify markers, that allows to detect these diseases as early as possible. A special role in the pathogenesis of these diseases is assigned to the genetic component, while recent studies have highlighted the shares of genetic determination in the disease’s advance are somewhat differ. The goal of this research was to identify the features of dermatoglyphic patterns of patients with rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis. Finger dermatoglyphic drawings of patients suffering from ankylosing spondylitis, rheumatoid arthritis, and representatives of the general population sample were studied. Statistical data processing was performed using non-parametric Van der Waerden test. To establish predictors of these diseases, ROC analysis was used. In persones suffering from ankylosing spondylitis there were found more differences in finger patterns from the control group, than in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. So, the total ridge count and the intensity index of the patterns on the left arm of patients with ankylosing spondylitis were lower than in the control group. Peoples with ankylosing spondylitis had more predictors of pathology than patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The analysis of the results shows that the absence of radial loops on the right arm and double loops in the examined persons may indicate the probability of developing these diseases. All predictors of rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis were characterized by high sensitivity and low specificity, which makes them convenient markers for preliminary screening studies and the formation of risk groups for the development of these pathologies. However, it is not recommended to use these predictors for establishing a final diagnosis, since their low specificity will cause to a large number of false-positive results among the examined persons. Individuals with ankylosing spondylitis have more differences in fingerprints from the control group and more predictors of pathology than patients with rheumatoid arthritis. It can be assumed that the genetic component plays a more significant role in the pathogenesis of ankylosing spondylitis, and the formation of rheumatoid arthritis is more caused by environmental factors. Our study confirms the feasibility of considering dermatoglyphs as an additional genetic marker in clinical medicine. Dermatoglyphic indicators can be used in the formation of risk groups for inflammatory joint diseases for primary prevention, for solving a number of issues of medical and genetic consulting, which indicates the prospects of this research area.