What is the connection between high risk for heart attack and a crease or wrinkle in the earlobe? I’ve read about it many times but never seen it in real life or in illustration. Is it something you see in people genetically prone to heart attacks or is it somehow a change in the body structure that goes along with the lifestyle that promotes heart attacks? What causes it? What does it look like? Where on the earlobe is it? And where did you get your info?
anonymouse
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.
I got my info from Cecil, which seems to be inconclusive.
Maybe it is a coincidence or perhaps I was looking at earlobes because of my question…I saw a policeman on the news today and he had a pronounced diagonal crease in his earlobes. It was interesting to finaly see what it looks like. Of course, now I’m wondering about that policeman.