Relation of fingerprints and shape of the palm to fetal growth and adult blood pressure

The fingerprints of 139 men and women born in the same hospital in 1935-1943 and still living in Lancashire have been examined. People who were thin at birth had more whorl patterns on their fingers. People who were short at birth in relation to their head circumference had longer hands and a narrower palmer angle. Mean systolic blood pressure was 8 mmHg higher in the 93 men and women with a whorl pattern on one or more fingers compared with the 46 who had no whorls. Whorls on the right hand were more strongly associated with higher systolic pressure than whorls on the left. The authors conclude that fingertip whorls and a narrow palmar angle are indelible markers of impaired fetal development at different stages in pregnancy. Both are associated with raised blood pressure in adult life.