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Frank's Sign: A Clinical Predictor of Ischaemic Strokes

Annie Renju1, Aravinth Sivagnanaratnam2

  • 1Acute Medicine, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, GBR.

Cureus
|May 8, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Frank's sign, a diagonal earlobe crease, is significantly associated with ischaemic strokes. This finding suggests it may help identify individuals at risk for stroke and guide preventative care.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Neurology
  • Clinical Medicine

Background:

  • Frank's sign, characterized by a diagonal earlobe crease, has been previously associated with cardiovascular disease.
  • Identifying novel, non-invasive markers for cardiovascular risk is crucial for early intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To prospectively assess the association between the presence of Frank's sign and the occurrence of ischaemic strokes.
  • To determine if Frank's sign can serve as an independent predictor of ischaemic stroke.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective observational study conducted over three months in a UK hospital.
  • Inclusion of 137 consecutive patients admitted to stroke and elderly care wards.
  • Physical examination for Frank's sign and analysis of demographic and medical history data, with statistical analysis using the chi-squared test.

Main Results:

  • A significant association was found between the presence of Frank's sign and ischaemic strokes.
  • This association remained significant even after excluding patients with pre-existing cardiovascular disease.
  • The chi-squared test confirmed the statistical significance of the observed relationship.

Conclusions:

  • Frank's sign may represent a valuable clinical predictor for ischaemic stroke.
  • Healthcare providers can utilize this easily identifiable sign to identify at-risk individuals.
  • Further research is warranted to explore the underlying mechanisms and refine the predictive utility of Frank's sign in stroke risk assessment.

Keywords:
cardiovascular diseasediagonal earlobe creasefrank’s signischaemic strokestroke risk factors

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