The ratio of the length of the ring and index fingers has been tied to athletic and sexual traits. Researchers now say it can also be an indicator of arthritis.

A team from the University of Nottingham found that people with ring fingers that are much longer than their index fingers had a greater chance of getting arthritis in the knee, especially in women.

For the study, they looked at more than 2,000 people who were considering joint replacements because of arthritis and more than 1,100 people with no symptoms. All were given X-rays of the knees, hips and hands.

People with shorter index fingers were twice as likely as others to have arthritis in some part of the knee.

The lead researcher said the evidence showed that finger ratios are a new risk factor for arthritis.