Doctors Link 45-Degree Earlobe Crease to Higher Heart Disease Risk

3 articles · Updated · HuffPost · Aug 24

Doctors said a 45-degree diagonal earlobe crease—known as Frank’s sign—can correlate with higher cardiovascular risk, including heart attacks and strokes, though it is not a diagnosis.
The marker differs from ordinary age wrinkles by appearing as a single, deeper groove running from the earlobe toward the tragus; longer, deeper creases on both ears or appearing before age 60 may signal higher risk.
1973 observations by Dr. Sanders T. Frank were later supported by studies linking the crease to atherosclerotic conditions such as coronary artery, cerebrovascular and peripheral vascular disease.
Primary care doctors generally do not treat the crease itself or use it alone for management, but may follow up with blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes checks, calcium scoring, stress tests or cardiac imaging.
Doctors said people who notice the sign can usually raise it at a routine visit, while everyone—whether the crease is present or not—should still focus on smoking cessation, diet, exercise and controlling blood pressure and cholesterol.