Second digit and fourth digit ratio--an adjunct tool to predict obstructive sleep apnea.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a sleep related breathing disorder associated with high morbidity and mortality. Digit ratio (2D:4D) a sexually dimorphic trait is a putative indicator of prenatal testosterone exposure and adult testosterone level. Present study aimed at investigating the correlation between 2D:4D ratio and OSA based on the study conducted on 290 volunteered participants of both the sexes in the age range of 20-45 years. A significant negative correlation was observed for 2D:4D with OSA related parameters specifically Berlin score, Epworth score and certain key anthropometric measurements, neck circumference (NC) and waist-hip ratio (WHR). The study thus showed that lower 2D:4D ratio, increases risk of developing OSA and hence it can be used as an adjunct tool in the prediction of OSA.