DEAR DR. GOTT: Are creases in the earlobe always a precursor to heart trouble?
DEAR READER: In a word, no. For more than 50 years (52 to be exact), there has been debate over whether creased earlobes can be tied to coronary-artery disease. In fact, the New York Times printed an article in 1984 on the subject. Physicians in Long Island reported to the New England Journal of Medicine that there was a significant statistical link in men with creased earlobes being diagnosed with heart disease. A crease is identified as a diagonal line that begins where the lobe attaches to the head and then runs backward toward the lower edge of the lobe.
Women are not exempt from creased lobes; however, there doesn’t appear to be any association with heart disease, as there is with men. Ears wrinkle, especially with advanced age. And it is thought the ears wrinkle simply because people commonly sleep on their right or left sides.
We certainly cannot examine every person’s earlobes to exclude coronary-artery disease. The jury is out on the matter, and the medical community all these years later remains divided.
If you or a family member is concerned, make an appointment with your family physician or cardiologist. He or she can certainly glance at your ears, but I would hope the glance would be followed by a full examination, EKG and any other testing deemed appropriate. It is sometimes thought an EKG isn’t necessary until middle age, but I believe a baseline report is always good to have in a patient’s file so it can be checked periodically for changes.
To provide related information, I am sending you a copy of my Health Report “Coronary Artery Disease.” Other readers who would like a copy should send a self-addressed stamped No. 10 envelope and a $2 check or money order to Newsletter, P.O. Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092. Be sure to mention the title or print an order form off my website at www.AskDrGottMD.com.
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