What do creased earlobes mean?

The crease may signal poor blood supply to the earlobes, or could be a symptom of weakening in the blood vessels. It could also be related to aging.

Does a crease in your earlobe indicate heart problems?

According to researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine, this earlobe crease, also known as Frank’s sign, is associated with early signs of heart disease. Many times a fat earlobe’s meaning is not heart-related. However, researchers did discover a correlation. Fortunately, we can see these wrinkles easily.

What is diagonal earlobe crease?

Diagonal earlobe crease (DELC), the wrinkle at 45° between the auricle and the tragus, also known as Frank’s sign, was first reported to be associated with CAD by Sanders T. Frank in 1973 when he noted it in 20 patients with angina [6].

What is Frank’s crease?

Frank’s sign describes a diagonal earlobe crease, a wrinkle that extends 45° backward from the tragus to the auricle. It was first described by Sanders T. Frank, an American physician in 1973 and is a predictive dermatological finding of coronary artery disease.

What does it mean when your earlobes are creased?

Earlobe crease (ELC), i.e., a line running from the bottom of the ear opening to the ear’s lower tip. I first discussed this in 1997, observing that, based on research then available, if you had hairy ears with creased lobes, you were a heart attack waiting to happen.

Is the earlobe crease a warning sign of heart disease?

Imagine my surprise when I picked up newspaper after newspaper to find the same story about a new wrinkle in heart care. It reported that an earlobe crease may be an early warning sign of heart disease.In USA TODAY there was even a drawing of an ear with the appropriate diagonal crease to illustrate.

Is the diagonal earlobe crease associated with retinopathy?

The diagonal ear lobe crease (Frank’s sign) is not associated with coronary artery disease or retinopathy in type 2 diabetes: the Fremantle Diabetes Study. Aust N Z J Med 2000;30 (5):573–7. 8. Cheng TO. More research needed on the association between diagonal earlobe crease and coronary artery disease.

How old do you have to be to have earlobe crease?

A Brief History: Frank’s Sign. In 1973, a physician called Sanders T. Frank had a letter published in the New England Journal of Medicine describing 20 of his patients with an earlobe crease, who were under 60 years old, with angina (chest pain) and proven coronary artery blockages.