Earlobe Crease Shapes and Cardiovascular Events

“…The earlobe crease (ELC), also called Frank's sign (7), is a wrinkle extending from the tragus to the outer border of the earlobe. Several studies in non-dialysis populations have described ELC as a predictor of future CVD, including coronary heart disease (8)(9)(10)(11), cerebrovascular disease (12), and peripheral vascular diseases (13,14). The presence of ELC, which can be assessed easily without any test, might function as a visible prompt for both physicians and patients to screen for CVD.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Association between Earlobe Creases and Cardiovascular Events in Japanese Hemodialysis Patients: A Prospective Cohort Study

Wakasugi

Nagai²,

Yokota

et al. 2020

Intern. Med.

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Objective The earlobe crease, a wrinkle extending from the tragus to the outer border of the earlobe, is a well-known surrogate marker for a high risk of cardiovascular disease. However, information is lacking about its association with cardiovascular events among hemodialysis patients, who already have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. We tested the hypothesis that earlobe creases are independently associated with the risk of cardiovascular events among Japanese hemodialysis patients. Methods This prospective cohort study followed 247 adult hemodialysis patients with no history of cardiovascular disease for 4 years. The presence of earlobe creases was defined by two researchers using photos of patients' earlobes on both sides while blinded to one another's assessments and clinical data. The primary outcome was defined as the first fatal or nonfatal cardiovascular event (myocardial infarction, ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke, or peripheral vascular disease requiring aortic or peripheral vascular bypass surgery or below-or above-the-knee amputation). A Fine-Gray competing risks regression model was used to examine the association between earlobe creases and cardiovascular events. Results During the 4-year follow-up period, 43 patients suffered cardiovascular events. After the competing risk of non-cardiovascular death was accounted for, patients with earlobe creases had an increased cumulative incidence of cardiovascular events compared to those without earlobe creases (subhazard ratio =2.04, 95% confidence interval: 1.09 to 3.82). This association was no longer significant after adjusting for age. Conclusion Earlobe creases were not independently associated with cardiovascular events among Japanese hemodialysis patients, suggesting that these marks are simply indicative of advanced age.

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“…The study also observed that risk of CAD is 3.3 fold in patients with earlobe crease than those without them. A recent study observed independent association of diagonal bilateral ear lobe creases with cardiovascular events and ischemic stroke 11 . A necropsy study concluded that diagonal ear lobe creases is associated with fatal cardiovascular disease 12 .…”

Section: Dear Editormentioning

confidence: 99%

Bilateral kulak lobu dikey kırışıklıkları ile koroner arter hastalıklarının ortaya çıkışı arasındaki pozitif ilişki

Shanbhag¹

2017

Cukurova Medical Journal (Çukurova Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Dergisi)

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Earlobe Crease Shapes and Cardiovascular Events

Cited by 44 publications

References 22 publications

Diagonal Earlobe Crease (Frank's Sign): A Predictor of Cerebral Vascular Events

Diagonal Earlobe Crease (Frank's Sign): A Predictor of Cerebral Vascular Events

The Association between Earlobe Creases and Cardiovascular Events in Japanese Hemodialysis Patients: A Prospective Cohort Study

Bilateral kulak lobu dikey kırışıklıkları ile koroner arter hastalıklarının ortaya çıkışı arasındaki pozitif ilişki

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