The simian line: Down syndrome & asian populations!

January 10, 2009

The simian line is often found in Down syndrome, but also frequently seen in Asian populations.

The simian line is often found in Down syndrome, but also frequently seen in Asian populations.

The simian line

The simian line is a ‘notorious’ hand crease and well-known for it’s significance in Down’s syndrome – more than half of these people have a simian line in 1 or both hands, while only about 1% of healthy populations have a simian line. Nevertheless, this line is also frequently observed in the hands of certain ethnic population – especially in Asians!

In 1866, R.L. Down discovered in 1906 the relationship between the simian crease and Down’s syndrome. The simian line is also know as: the ‘simian crease’ or ‘single palmar transverse crease’.

‘Healthy hands’ with the simian line usually do not have the other stereotypical hand features related related to Down syndrome are missing (examples of other Down syndrome-related hand features are: a short thumb, curved little finger, certain dermatoglyphic patterns in the palm and fingerprints).

In some (Asian) populations is extraordinary frequently seen, such as: Pygmies: 34.7 %; Gypsies: 14.3 %; Chinese: 13.0 %; Koreans: 11.2 % – more percentages are presented in the full article.

Deciphering the simian line.

READ FURTHER ABOUT THE SIMIAN LINE:
The simian line: a notorious hand crease
The simian line: merging of mind and heart
The simian crease, down syndrome & other disorders
Do you have a simian line?

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