Dermatoglyphics in mosaic Down's syndrome

To determine whether quantitative dermal indices are useful in ascertaining the liability for or severity of mosaic Down's syndrome (DS), dermatoglyphics of 107 subjects with proven 46/47,+ 21 DS were scored by four quantitative dermal indices. The distribution of mosaics by weighted mean percentage of +21 cells ranged from 1 to 95 and was bimodal. Mean maternal age at birth of mosaics (32.9 ± 7.5 years) was elevated when compared with control maternal ages in the literature.