C-Line Termination of Autistic Subjects in Nigeria

C-line termination patterns have been found to be of great importance in population studies. However, recent studies also revealed its usefulness in the diagnosis of some genetic diseases. This study aimed at evaluating the C-line termination patterns of autistic subjects in Nigeria as compared with the control group. Digital scanning method was used. One hundred (100) autistic subjects (82 males and 18 females) and one hundred (100) control subjects (65 males and 35 females) were recruited for the study. Autistic subjects were selected from special schools in Nigeria while the control subjects were selected from University of Port Harcourt Demonstration Secondary School. Chisquare statistical tool was used to test the data. The result revealed that absent termination (AT), proximal termination (PT) and radial termination (RT) have higher percentage frequencies in autistic subjects when compared with the control subjects for both sexes bilaterally while control subjects have the highest percentage frequency of ulnar termination, (Right autism: AT-8%, PT-9%, RT-47%, UT-36%; right control: AT-6%, PT-5%, RT- 41%, UT-48%) and (left autism: AT-16%, PT-9%, RT-29%, UT-46%; left control: AT-15%, PT-5%, RT-23%, UT- 57%). However, there was no significant difference in the distribution of the c-line patterns between autistic and control subjects for both sexes on both hands (p>0.05). Both the male and female of autistic and control subjects showed no significant differences when compared (p>0.05). The results of this study suggest that C-line patterns are population specific. For Nigerians, it might not be a good dermatoglyphic screening tool for diagnosis of autism. However, further studies with greater sample size are recommended.

Key Words: C-line termination, Dermatoglyphics, Autism, diagnosis, Nigeria