External Ear Anomalies and Minor Physical Anomalies in Depressive Disorder Patients and Healthy Controls

To determine if external ear anomalies (EEAs) and minor physical anomalies (MPAs) are more prevalent in patients with depressive disorder than in healthy controls.

This cross-sectional study was conducted at a tertiary-level referral center between October 1, 2019, and September 30, 2020, and included 100 patients with depressive disorder (diagnosed per ICD-10 criteria) and 100 aged- and sex-matched healthy controls. The study participants were examined using the External Ear Anomalies Assessment Scale and the extended Waldrop Scale.

Independent samples Mann-Whitney U test showed a higher prevalence of mean EEAs and MPAs in patients with depressive disorder. Adherent ear lobe was the most common ear anomaly in both patients (52%) and controls (41%), followed by Darwinian tubercle (21% in the patient group and 19% in the control group).

External ear anomalies are more prevalent in patients with depressive disorder, supporting the neurodevelopmental theory of depression. These EEAs need further description and attention for possible inclusion in scales that assess minor physical anomalies and may be used as an endophenotypic marker for depression in the future.

Prim Care Companion CNS Disord. 2023;25(4):22m03416.

Author affiliations are listed at the end of this article.