Prevalence Of Earlobe Crease Research Articles

Association of advanced glycation end products with ear lobe crease: A cross-sectional study.

Several studies have demonstrated a significant association between the presence of the ear lobe crease (ELC) and cardiovascular disease. Advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) can affect the structures and functions of proteins and contribute to the development of diabetic complications. However, few studies have reported the relationship between AGEs and ELC. The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation of skin autofluorescence (SAF)-AGEage (SAF-AGEs × age/100) with ELC. This cross-sectional study enrolled 6500 eligible participants from two communities in Beijing. Skin autofluorescence (SAF) was used to measure skin AGEs (SAF-AGEs). SAF-AGEage was defined as AGEs × age/100. Binary logistic regression analysis and linear regression analysis nested in logistic models were applied to test outcomes. The overall prevalence of ELC with an average age of 62.7 years participants was 57.1% (n = 3714). Age, fasting blood glucose, systolic blood pressure, and lipoprotein cholesterol were all greater in participants with ELC. ELC-positive participants had higher prevalence of coronary heart disease. Logistic analysis showed a significantly positive relationship between quartiles of SAF-AGEage and ELC (odds ratio [OR] 1.526, 95% CI 1.324-1.759; OR 2.072, CI 1.791-2.396; and OR 2.983, CI 2.551-3.489) for the multivariate-adjusted models, respectively. Stratified research revealed that those with a history of diabetes, hypertension, or coronary heart disease experienced the connection between SAF-AGEage and ELC. ELC is associated with coronary heart disease, and the SAF-AGE has a potential role in ELC development in elder people.

Prevalence and clinical characteristics of earlobe crease in systemic sclerosis: Possible association with vascular dysfunction

Patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) develop various vasculopathy-induced vascular disorders such as Raynaud's phenomenon, abnormal nail-fold capillaries, persistent digital ischemia, digital ulcers (DU), and sometimes develop renal crisis and pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH), affecting prognosis. Earlobe crease (ELC), also known as Frank's sign, is a wrinkle extending from the tragus to the outer border of the earlobe and is generally recognized as the sign of cardiovascular events. However, no previous study analyzed the association between ELC and SSc. In this study, we examined the prevalence and clinical characteristics of ELC in SSc patients. We analyzed 145 Japanese SSc patients and found that the prevalence of ELC in SSc patients was 23.4% (43/145), similar to that previously reported in the general population without SSc. Using univariate analysis, we found that SSc patients with ELC were characterized by old age, high incidence of DU, ILD and PAH, and high complication of coronary artery diseases (CAD) compared with SSc patients without ELC. In multivariate analysis, ELC was significantly associated with old age and incidence of DU. PAH tended to correlate with ELC without statistical significance. These results suggest that ELC may be associated with vascular disorders in SSc patients. This is the first report concerning the prevalence and clinical characteristics of ELC in patients with SSc. ELC is very easy to detect in clinical practice and helps physicians to identify SSc patients at risk of developing vascular disorders such as DU and PAH.

Prevalence of Earlobe Creases and Their Association With History of Cardiovascular Disease in Patients Undergoing Hemodialysis: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Earlobe creases are surrogate markers for high risk of cardiovascular disease. There is no data concerning earlobe creases among hemodialysis patients, who have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the prevalence of earlobe creases and their association with prevalent cardiovascular disease among hemodialysis patients. Patients undergoing hemodialysis were recruited from five outpatient hemodialysis centers. Both earlobes were photographed during a dialysis session with the patient in a supine position and the photos evaluated independently by two experienced nephrologists blinded to the participants' clinical characteristics. Prevalent cardiovascular diseases were defined as a history of myocardial infarction, cerebrovascular accident, or peripheral vascular disease. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values for detection of prevalent cardiovascular disease were calculated. Logistic analysis was used to examine the association between earlobe creases and prevalent cardiovascular disease. Earlobe creases were identified in 24.5% of 330 hemodialysis patients (200 men; mean age, 67.8years). The prevalence of earlobe creases increased with age for men (P for trend <0.0001), but not for women (P for trend=0.07). Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were 30.9% (95% confidence interval, 21.9-41.6), 77.5% (71.9-82.3), 30.9% (21.9-41.6), and 77.5% (71.9-82.3), respectively. Multivariate logistic analyses indicated the prevalence of earlobe crease was not associated with prevalent cardiovascular diseases. The prevalence is similar to that previously reported for Japanese individuals not undergoing dialysis. No association between earlobe creases and prevalent cardiovascular diseases was identified.

Diagonal ear lobe crease in diabetic south Indian population: Is it associated with Diabetic Retinopathy?. Sankara Nethralaya Diabetic Retinopathy Epidemiology And Molecular-genetics Study (SN-DREAMS, Report no. 3)

BackgroundTo report the prevalence of ear lobe crease (ELC), a sign of coronary heart disease, in subjects (more than 40 years old) with diabetes and find its association with diabetic retinopathy.MethodsSubjects were recruited from the Sankara Nethralaya Diabetic Retinopathy Epidemiology And Molecular-genetics Study (SN-DREAMS), a cross-sectional study between 2003 and 2006; the data were analyzed for the1414 eligible subjects with diabetes. All patients' fundi were photographed using 45° four-field stereoscopic digital photography. The diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy was based on the modified Klein classification. The presence of ELC was evaluated on physical examination.ResultsThe prevalence of ELC, among the subjects with diabetes, was 59.7%. The ELC group were older, had longer duration of diabetes, had poor glycemic control and had a high socio-economic status compared to the group without ELC and the variables were statistically significant. There was no statistical difference in the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy in two groups. On multivariate analysis for any diabetic retinopathy, the adjusted OR for women was 0.69 (95% CI 0.51-0.93) (p = 0.014); for age >70 years, 0.49 (95% CI 0.26-0.89) (p = 0.024); for increasing duration of diabetes (per year increase), 1.11(95% CI 1.09-1.14) (p < 0.0001); and for poor glycemic control (per unit increase in glycosylated heamoglobin), 1.26 (95% CI 1.19-1.35) (p < 0.0001). For sight-threatening diabetic retinopathy, no variable was significant on multivariable analysis. In predicting any diabetic retinopathy, the presence of ELC had sensitivity of 60.4%, and specificity, 40.5%. The area under the ROC curve was 0.50 (95% CI 0.46-0.54) (p 0.02).ConclusionThe ELC was observed in nearly 60% of the urban south Indian population. However, the present study does not support the use of ELC as a screening tool for both any diabetic retinopathy and sight-threatening retinopathy.

1028-61 Diagonal Earlobe Crease and Prevalence of Coronary Artery Disease: An Angiographlc Study

There have been numerous investigations regarding the association between diagonal ear lobe crease (ELC) and the presence of coronary artery disease (CAD). Results have been mixed. We wish to report the largest angiographic study to date of this clinical entity. A total of 1273 consecutive patients who underwent angiograms were examined for the presence or absence of an ELC prior to their angiograms. Patients with previous open heart surgery, PTCA or previously documented angiographic CAD were excluded from analysis. The ELC sign was considered positive if there were a prominent wrinkle which extended for at least a third of the lobule length. Coronary angiograms were interpreted by cardiologists unaware of the patient's ELC sign. Significant CAD (SCAD) was defined as &gt;50% luminal narrowing of left main or &gt;70% luminal narowing in the other 3 major arteries. There were 91% intraobserver and 96% interobserver agreement for the diagnosis of the ELC sign. The chi-square test was used for statistical analyses. The study population consisted of 954 patients, mean age 60 (650 males) who underwent angiograms for their first time. Normal angiograms were noted in 129 patients; nonsignificant CAD in 142 and SCAD in 683 patients. Prevalence of ELC in patients with SCAD was 78% and in those without SCAD was 68% (p = 0.001). Sensitivity and specificity of the ELC sign was 78% and 32% respectively. The positive and negative predictive values were 74% and 60% respectively. The prevalence of ELC and SCAD increased with advancing age (p = 0.001). After stratification for age, there was no statistically significant association between Ihe ELC sign and SCAD. (1) The ELC sign has a poor positive and negative predictive values in predicting the presence of SCAD. (2) The association between the ELC sign and SCAD is likely due to confounding effect of advancing age.

The prevalence of ear lobe crease in Japanese health subjects and diabetics

The prevalence of ear lobe crease in Japanese health subjects and diabetics

P-7-28 The prevalence of ear lobe crease in Japanese health subjects and diabetics

P-7-28 The prevalence of ear lobe crease in Japanese health subjects and diabetics

Diagonal Ear Lobe Crease and Coronary Risk Factors

The prevalence of ear lobe crease (ELC) was determined in 421 patients with myocardial infarction (MI) and in 421 controls. A higher prevalence (p less than 0.05) of ELC was found in MI patients (77 percent) in comparison to controls (40 percent), regardless of age. In addition, a higher prevalence was found in patients in whom MI was combined with diabetic retinopathy or hypertension, and in Ashkenazi Jews compared to non-Ashkenazi Jews. Ear lobe biopsies in 12 subjects revealed tears of the elastic fibers in all subjects with ELC, and prearteriole wall thickening in subjects with MI and/or ELC, but not in the 2 subjects with neither MI nor ELC. The early appearance of ELC may imply the existence of coronary heart disease with or without coronary risk factors.