I have read that it means a person will have heart problems. My dh has deep creases in both ear lobes. He has had 2 heart attacks, and has 3 aneurisms. When someone says they have had a heart attack, I usually look at their ear lobes for the crease. Yep it's there. Bonnie
Entry on PubMed: (There are others. Search "earlobe creases" on PubMed)
Am J Forensic Med Pathol. 2006 Jun;27(2):129-33.
The earlobe crease, coronary artery disease, and sudden cardiac death: an autopsy study of 520 individuals.
Edston E.
Source
Department of Molecular and Clinical Medicine, Division of Forensic Medicine, University Hospital, Linköping, Sweden. eried@imk.liu.se
Abstract
The majority of previous studies have demonstrated a correlation between diagonal earlobe creases (ELC) and coronary artery disease (CAD). In this study of 520 forensic autopsy cases, the earlobes were studied and photographed before autopsy, and the existence of a diagonal ELC was noted in 55%. The cause of death, the degree of coronary atherosclerosis, aortosclerosis, and cerebrosclerosis, as well as heart, kidney, and spleen weights, were noted in each case. The body mass index (BMI), thickness of abdominal fat, baldness, and excessive hair in the meatus externa of the external ears were also assessed. Nonparametric methods were used in the statistical calculations. It was found that ELC was strongly correlated with CAD in both men and women (P < 0.0001) but with sudden cardiac death (SCD) only in men (P < 0.04). The sensitivity of the ELC sign was 75% and the positive predictive value (ppv) was 68%. In individuals below 40 years, the ppv was as high as 80%. Using multiple logistic regression analysis, ELC was found to be the strongest independent risk factor for CAD and SCD apart from age and BMI (both genders), as well as baldness and hair in the meatus externa (in males). It is concluded that in a patient population similar to that in the present study the ELC sign could be especially useful in screening for premature CAD in younger individuals.