ANTHROPOMETRIC ASSESSMENT OF DIGIT LENGTHS AND DIGIT RATIOS OFVITILIGO SUBJECTS IN PORT HARCOURT, RIVERS STATE

Vitiligo is a skin pigmentation disorder that is caused by a loss of melanocytes, characterized by white spots around certain parts of the body. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between digit length, digit (2D:4D) ratio and vitiligo among vitiligo patients within a south-southern Nigeria. Informed consents were obtained from 98 vitiligo adult subjects (69 females and 29 males) in the age range of 18 – 50 years. The measurements that were obtained were the digit lengths of second and fourth fingers for both hands using the digital vernier caliper. The mean and standard deviation values were calculated for all measurements. A Pearson correlation was used to analyse the relationship between the various measurements for both hands in the study. Results showed that the mean ± standard deviation of the various parameters for the female category. Right 2D length was 6.67± 7.53cm, left 2D length was 6.68 ± 7.32cm, right 4D length and left 4D length were 6.86 ± 8.57cm and 6.89 ± 8.50cm respectively. While, the mean and standard deviation values for right and left 2D:4D ratios for the female category were 0.98 ± 0.15 and 0.98 ± 0.12 respectively. In the males, right 2D length was 6.66 ± 9.66cm, left 2D length was 6.64 ± 9.86cm, right 4D length and left 4D length were 6.99 ± 10.09cm and 7.03± 10.40cm respectively. While, the mean and standard deviation values for right and left 2D:4D ratios for the male category were 0.95 ± 0.03 and 0.95 ± 0.03 respectively. In the females for the right hand, there was a significant positive correlation between 2D length and 4D length (r = 0.761, p = 0.000) while there was a significant negative correlation between 4D length and digit ratio (r = -0.473, p = 0.000) at p < 0.01. For the left hand, there was a significant positive correlation between 2D length and 4D length (r = 0.783, p = 0.000). In the males for the right hand, there was a significant positive correlation between 2D length and 4D length (r = 0.976, p = 0.000). For the left hand, there was a significant positive correlation between 2D length and 4D length (r = 0.981, p = 0.000).It can be concluded that the knowledge of 2D:4D ratio among vitiligosubjects could be helpful in clinical anthropometry however, more research has to be done considering that the sample size of this study is relatively small.