Vidya C.s.

Study of Dermatoglyphics in Essential Hypertension Vidya C.s.

Amidst the ocean of causes of human suffering, hypertension ?the silent killer of mankind? is a public health problem. Most sufferers are asymptomatic and hence early diagnosis is a problem. If untreated, it produces a lot of complications like heart attack, heart failure, stroke and kidney diseases. The prevalence of hypertension is 59.9 and 69.9 per 1000 in males and females respectively in the urban population and 35.5 and 35.9 per 1000 males and females respectively in the rural population The cardiovascular risks associated with a given blood pressure are dependent upon the combination of risk factors in the specific individual. These include age, gender, weight, physical inactivity, smoking, family history, blood cholesterol, diabetes mellitus and pre-existing vascular disease. By analysing various parameters of dermatoglyphics in the palms and fingers, we aimed to prevent the ill effects of the disease by modifying the risk factors.