No matter what color, shape, thickness or size are your earlobes, they are generally smooth. Nevertheless, some people have a crease in their earlobes which is a line splitting the earlobe in two. It is also commonly known as “Frank’s Sign”
This line was named after Sanford Frank, the first man who noticed it in 1973 and who wrote a letter to the New England Journal of Medicine where he explained the possible link between an ear crease and heart disease.
Ear Crease And Heart Disease
Many other studies later supported this research, but none of them had definitively determined why heart disease is possibly linked with the earlobe crease.
According to one study, tha lack of blood flow to the ears actually leads to the formation of the lobe wrinkle, because if the blood can’t get through to the ears, it means that there’s probably a blockage somewhere in the body.
On the other hand, another study claims that weakening of elastin and collagen fibers found in the ears also indicates a similar weakening of coronary arteries. In other words, the coronary arteries end at the ears which means that vascular disease in this area shows that there is a vascular disease further up the line.
Other Theories
The study conducted in Japan states that a diagonal earlobe crease (DELC) is a result of shortened cell telomeres which are in fact the areas at the end of each strand of DNA protecting cells from damage. it should also be mentioned that short telomeres are associated to metabolic syndrome. According to the study, DELC “might be a useful indirect marker of high-risk patients.”
A Noticeable Symptom
Visible earlobe crease can be a symptom of some cardiouvascular disease. For instance, one man who was dealing with hypertension and who displayed no symptoms of heart problems except for Frank’s sign on both earlobes, went to an outpatient clinic. After some additional testings, the results showed that his left main coronary artery was 80% blocked and his right was 90% blocked. “The patient underwent 3-vessel coronary artery bypass graft surgery and has since done well.”
Other Factors
Apart from the possible connection between heart disease and Frank’s sign, both culture and region can also be major factors for the prevalence of DELC.
According to a Japanese study which discovered a strong correlation between ear crease and heart disease, the prevalence among the 1000 study subjects was less than expected.
“It is concluded that: the prevalence of EC [ear crease] in Japanese adults is very low compared with the results of previous studies in Europe and America; the prevalence of EC tends to increase with advancing age but is unrelated to other risk factors for CHD [coronary heart disease]; a statistically significant association between EC and CHD is seen from multivariate analysis using both clinical and angiographic criteria in the diagnosis of CHD.”
Can Ear Lobes Give Other Signs?
According to one study that examined DELC as a reliable identifier of vascular disease and retinopathy In diabetics found that it is not an indicator of a heart disease when it is in combination with other conditions.
This is why a grading system for DELC was developed to show the severity of possible cardiovascular risk:
The most important thing is not to ignore this sign as early prevention and in that way you will prevent more serious complications and even death.
Source: healthyfoodelements.com
