Is Diagonal Earlobe Crease a Marker for Coronary Artery Disease?

Abstract

Background: The diagonal earlobe crease (DELC) has been proposed to be a marker of coronary artery disease (CAD), but this association still remains controversial. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the frequency of DELC in patients with CAD. Materials and Methods: Eighty patients with angiographically documented CAD from Borujerd were evaluated for the presence or absence of ELC. The ELC was said to be present if the patient had a deep diagonal crease extending obliquely from the outer ear canal toward the border of the earlobe without discontinuity covering at least two-thirds of the ear lobe length. Results: The prevalence of DELC was 58.7% (95% confidence interval: 61.1-55.3). The frequency of hypertension and dyslipidemia was significantly higher in patients with DELC (P = 0.002 and P = 0.034, respectively). But no such difference was seen between diabetic and nondiabetic patients (P = 0.241). Conclusion: The frequency of DELC in patients with CAD was high in our study. The data suggest that the ELC sign may be a useful marker for the presence of CAD in patients.

Keywords

• Coronary artery disease
• diagonal earlobe crease
• Frank′s sign