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Morphological overview of cardiovascular comorbidities in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Frank's sign

Nalan Ogan1, Ersin Gunay2, Berkay Ekici3

  • 1Ufuk University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Chest Diseases, Ankara, Turkey.

Heart & Lung : the Journal of Critical Care
|February 17, 2020
PubMed

Insights

A diagonal earlobe crease (DELC) may indicate cardiac comorbidities in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This finding suggests earlobe examination could be a sensitive tool for predicting heart issues in COPD patients.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Pulmonology
  • Dermatology

Background:

  • Cardiovascular diseases are significant comorbidities in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
  • A potential association exists between diagonal earlobe crease (DELC) and coronary artery disease (CAD).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between DELC and cardiac comorbidities in patients diagnosed with COPD.
  • To evaluate the utility of DELC as a predictor of cardiac issues during routine physical examinations for COPD patients.

Main Methods:

  • A prospective cohort study was conducted.
  • Data collected included demographic information, pulmonary function tests (PFTs), lipid profiles, oxygen saturation, and the presence of DELC.
  • COPD patients were compared with a control group.

Main Results:

  • DELC was observed in 62% of COPD patients, who also showed a higher prevalence of CAD (p=0.044).
  • CAD prevalence increased with COPD severity (18% early-stage vs. 30.8% late-stage, p=0.041).
  • DELC demonstrated 80.65% sensitivity and 44.15% specificity for predicting CAD in COPD patients.

Conclusions:

  • Cardiac comorbidities significantly impact COPD severity, exacerbations, and treatment response.
  • Earlobe examination in COPD patients can be a highly sensitive method for predicting the presence of cardiac comorbidities.
Abstract

Keywords:
Cardiovascular diseasesChronic obstructive pulmonary diseaseComorbidityDiagonal earlobe crease

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