Dermatoglyphic studies in patients with Cooley's anemia and Cooley's trait

The dermatoglyphic analysis of a group of Italian patients with Cooley's anemia and Cooley's trait shows Cooley's anemia patients undergo a significant increase of loops on fingers and a corresponding decrease of whorls. The total loop frequency correlates negatively with the ridge distribution per loop and the total ridge count is significantly decreased. The atd angles are greater. Minor changes in the distribution of patterns in the thenar and hypothenar areas are also observed. In the Cooley's trait patients, loops on fingers are more frequent than in controls, but no difference is observed with Cooley's anemia series. The above findings suggest that the gene(s) controlling loop formation in linkage disequilibrium with the thalassemia mutant may have been favorably selected on the thalassemia chromosome in a malaria environment.