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Earlobe crease and coronary heart disease in Japanese
Insights
A diagonal earlobe crease (EC) is significantly associated with coronary heart disease (CHD). This finding suggests EC may serve as a potential indicator for cardiovascular risk assessment in adults.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Medical Diagnostics
Background:
- Coronary heart disease (CHD) remains a leading cause of mortality worldwide.
- Identifying reliable, non-invasive markers for CHD risk is crucial for early detection and prevention.
- The potential association between physical signs, such as earlobe crease (EC), and cardiovascular health warrants investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if a statistically significant correlation exists between the presence of an earlobe crease (EC) and coronary heart disease (CHD).
- To explore the relationship between EC and established coronary risk factors.
- To investigate the predictive value of EC in identifying individuals with significant coronary artery stenosis.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 1000 Japanese adult patients were assessed for the presence or absence of EC.
- Patients were clinically evaluated for CHD (angina pectoris, myocardial infarction) and underwent coronary angiography if indicated.
- Coronary risk factors including age, sex, obesity, hypertension, diabetes, smoking, and hyperlipidemia were recorded and analyzed alongside EC presence using multivariate analysis.
Main Results:
- A significantly higher prevalence of EC was observed in patients with CHD (24.5%) compared to those without (4.8%; P < 0.001).
- EC was also more frequent in patients with significant coronary artery stenosis (26.1%) versus those without (3.7%; P < 0.01).
- Multivariate analysis confirmed that CHD and age over 50 years were significantly related to the presence of EC.
Conclusions:
- The study demonstrates a significant statistical correlation between the presence of an earlobe crease and coronary heart disease.
- Earlobe crease may serve as a simple, observable clinical sign associated with increased cardiovascular risk.
- Further research is warranted to elucidate the underlying mechanisms and clinical utility of EC as a potential biomarker for CHD.
Abstract:
To evaluate whether a significant statistical correlation exists between earlobe crease (EC) and coronary heart disease (CHD), 1000 Japanese adult patients (573 males, 427 females) were examined for the presence or absence of EC, clinical or angiographic evidence of CHD, and the following coronary risk factors: male sex, age over 50 years, obesity, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, cigarette smoking, and hyperlipidemia. Patients were divided into two groups according to clinical evidence of CHD: 237 patients with angina pectoris and/or myocardial infarction (CHD+ group); 720 patients without evidence of CHD (CHD- group). Coronary angiography was performed on 200 patients from this sample population; these patients were also divided into two groups: 119 patients with greater than 50% luminal narrowing of at least one major coronary artery (stenosis+ group); 81 patients with no significant atherosclerotic changes in the coronary arteries (stenosis- group). EC was present in 58 of 237 CHD+ patients (24.5%) but in only 35 of 720 CHD- patients (4.8%; P less than 0.001); it was present in 31 of 199 stenosis+ patients (26.1%) but in only 3 of 81 stenosis- patients (3.7%; P less than 0.01). EC was also found to correlate significantly with some coronary risk factors; the correlations between the presence of EC and the presence of CHD and coronary risk factors were investigated by multivariate analysis. In a multivariate setting, the existence of CHD and an age of over 50 years was significantly related to the presence of EC. To investigate the relationship between EC and advancing age, all patients were separated into age-groups.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)