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Diagonal earlobe creases and prognosis in patients with suspected coronary artery disease
1Department of Preventive Medicine, Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois 60612, USA.
Insights
The presence of ear lobe creases (ELC) in patients with suspected coronary disease is linked to a higher risk of cardiac events. More creases correlate with poorer cardiac event-free survival, aiding in risk stratification.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Preventive Medicine
- Diagnostic Markers
Background:
- Coronary heart disease (CHD) sequelae pose significant health risks.
- Identifying novel, accessible markers for CHD risk is crucial for patient management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between ear lobe creases (ELC) and the prognosis of coronary heart disease.
- To determine if the number of ELC predicts cardiac events in high-risk patients.
Main Methods:
- A 10-year follow-up study of 264 patients in a coronary care unit or catheterization lab.
- Data collected via questionnaires, medical records, and death certificates.
- Cardiac events (CABG, MI, cardiac death) analyzed using log-rank tests and Cox regression.
Main Results:
- A graded association was observed between ELC and 10-year cardiac event-free survival.
- Patients with bilateral ELC had a 1.77-fold increased risk of cardiac events compared to those with no ELC.
- Unilateral ELC also showed a significant association with increased cardiac event risk.
Conclusions:
- Ear lobe creases are a significant, graded predictor of cardiac events in patients with suspected coronary disease.
- ELC can serve as a simple clinical sign to identify high-risk individuals for coronary disease sequelae.
Purpose:
To determine whether high-risk patients with unilateral, bilateral, or no earlobe creases (ELC) have different prognoses for common sequelae of coronary heart disease.
Patients And Methods:
Two hundred sixty-four consecutive patients from a university-based coronary care unit or catheterization laboratory were blindly followed up for 10 years, using questionnaires, medical records, and death certificates. The primary outcome measure was time to cardiac event; namely, coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), myocardial infarction (MI), or cardiac death. Analyses included log-rank tests and Cox proportional hazards regression modelling.
Results:
The number of creased ears was significantly associated, in a graded fashion, with 10-year cardiac event free survival: 43.5% +/- 5.7%, 33.0% +/- 6.7%, or 17.5% +/- 4.6% (mean +/- standard error for 0, 1 or 2 ELC, respectively; P = 0.003). After adjustment for 10 known cardiac risk factors, including age and left ventricular ejection fraction, the relative risk for a cardiac event for a unilateral ELC, relative to 0 ELC, was 1.33 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.10 to 1.61, P = 0.02), and for bilateral ELC, it was 1.77 (95% CI 1.21 to 2.59, P = 0.003).
Conclusions:
Ear lobe creases are associated, in a graded fashion, with higher rates of cardiac events in patients admitted to hospital with suspected coronary disease. In such patients, ELC may help to identify those at higher risk for sequelae for coronary disease.