What is polydactyly and how common is it?
Polydactyly is a birth condition that produces extra fingers or toes. It appears in roughly 4 to 12 per 10,000 newborns and is the most common defect of the hands and feet.
Questions about Polydactyly
Short answers, pulled from the story.
What causes polydactyly?
Polydactyly is associated with at least 39 genetic mutations, involving genes such as GLI3, Hoxa and Hoxd clusters, and the SHH gene pathway. A 2020 study also found a relationship between polydactyly and maternal exposure to PM10 air pollution during pregnancy in China.
What are the three types of polydactyly?
The three types are ulnar (postaxial) polydactyly, in which the extra digit appears on the little-finger side; radial (preaxial) polydactyly, in which it appears on the thumb side; and central polydactyly, in which the extra digit is among the ring, middle, or index fingers. Ulnar polydactyly is the most common.
When can polydactyly be detected before birth?
Polydactyly can be detected via prenatal ultrasound as early as nine weeks into pregnancy. X-rays become useful for assessing bone structures after the child is one year old.
How is polydactyly treated surgically?
Treatment ranges from suture ligation in the newborn nursery, which cuts off blood supply and causes the extra digit to fall away, to more complex surgical procedures typically performed around two years of age. A 2014 study found a 19% revision rate for preaxial polydactyly due to pain or instability.
Which famous people have had polydactyly?
Notable people with polydactyly include baseball pitcher Antonio Alfonseca, actress Gemma Arterton, cricketer Garfield Sobers, blues guitarist Hound Dog Taylor, Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan, and Hungarian poet Endre Ady. Akshat Saxena from Uttar Pradesh holds the world record with 34 total digits, having been born in 2010 with seven fingers on each hand and ten toes on each foot.