Ear lobe crease

[ltfire]

Does a crease in one or both earlobes signify possible heart trouble?

[x-ray_vision]

Some info here

[Paul_in_Qatar]

I am dead meat. Now what to do?

[KarlGauss]

This thread may be of interest.

Quoting myself:

**The relation of a diagonal crease in the ear lobe to the development and/or extent of coronary disease is not clear. One older review claimed to demonstrate a link. More recent studies have tended not to confirm the association.

AFAIK, the mechanism (if any) is equally unclear. One possibility is that there is indeed a genetic link between diagonal ear lobe creases and heart attacks. Another, and in my opinion more appealing, hypothesis is that the creased ear lob reflects a weakness of the collagen (structural and supporting protein) in the tissues of the ear lobe. Conceivably, if the collagen is weak in the ear lobe it would be weak elsewhere in the body too. Well, collagen happens to be a key component in the lining of your arteries. And, if the collagen lining your arteries is weak, it may crack and allow the influx of cholesterol and, more generally, facilitate the process of athersclerosis. **