Women with uncommonly long ring fingers may be at greater risk of developing arthritis, a study has revealed.

Typically, women’s index and ring fingers are a similar length. Men tend to have longer ring fingers.
Researchers have found that such women may be at greater risk of developing arthritis in the knee when compared to those with fingers of similar length.

A team from Nottingham University analysed the hands of 2,000 arthritis patients and 1,000 without arthritis in their sixties.

Researchers, whose findings are published in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism, took X-rays of both hands of the patients and assessed the length of fingers.

Lead researcher Professor Michael Doherty said it was a new risk factor for the development of osteoarthritis.

“Specifically, women with the male pattern of length ratio - that is, ring finger relatively longer than the index finger - are more likely to develop knee osteoathritis,” Professor Doherty was quoted as saying by Britain’s Daily Mail on Thursday. “The underlying mechanism of the risk is unclear and merits further exploration,” he added.
Even after risk factors such as joint injury and a lack of exercise were taken into account, the higher risk of arthritis remained for women with long ring fingers.

Others have suggested finger ratio is linked to exposure to the male hormone testosterone in the womb.
Scientists have also previously claimed that the fingers length can reveal personality traits.