DELC

DIAGONAL EAR LOBE CREASE

Here are photos taken today (24th March 2018) of my left and right ear lobes showing the clearly visible Diagonal Ear Lobe Crease (DELC) on both lobes. Last night I came across an article titled Six Weird Warning Signs That Could Indicate Your Heart Is in Trouble. The first warning sign mentioned was creased earlobes. The article stated:

Although you can't see your heart beating in your chest - not without specialist imaging technology, at least - there are visible, external signs that can indicate if something is wrong with your heart, before you suffer from a life-changing - or ending - "cardiovascular event".

One such external indicator is diagonal creases on the earlobes – known as Frank's sign, named after Sanders Frank, an American doctor who first described the sign. Over 40 studies have demonstrated an association between this feature of the ear and an increased risk of atherosclerosis. It is not clear what the cause of the association is, but some have postulated that it is to do with a shared embryological origin. Most recently, it has been seen that these creases are also implicated in cerebrovascular disease – disease of the blood vessels in the brain.

Clearly this is not good news and indicates that my cardiovascular system and cognitive functioning are more likely to be impaired than those lacking a DELC. But how much more likely? One study's findings were:

The frequency of DELC in cognitively impaired patients was 59.2%, while it was 44.0% in CN individuals. The DELC group was older than the No DELC group for both CN individuals and cognitively impaired patients.

Another study declared:

Frank’s sign is a sign found in the physical examination that predicts ischemic stroke independently and is found in patients with high risk of developing ischemic stroke even in the absence of ischemic heart disease. It is more common in older age, higher in the presence of cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension and diabetes, and more frequent in the presence of a previous myocardial infarction or ischemic heart disease. Adding Frank’s sign to the list of classic risk factors for the development of ischemic heart disease and stroke in the future should be considered.

Here are some links to recent papers on the topic:

• LINK ONE
• LINK TWO
• LINK THREE
• LINK FOUR
• LINK FIVE
• LINK SIX

While the likelihood of cognitive impairment or cardiovascular disease is higher in those with DELC than in those without, it is by means a certainty. I guess I can draw some comfort from that. LINK SIX concludes that the odds of development of CAD in a patient with DELC, bilateral or unilateral is 5.63 times greater than the patient without DELC. This link also suggests a reason for the connection between CAD and DELC:

The earlobe is supplied by end arteries without a possibility of collateral circulation. Thus, the postulated theory suggests that any pathological condition influencing the micro- vasculature such as CAD, diabetes, and hypertension may contribute to the formation of diagonal earlobe crease. Moreover, diffuse loss of elastin and elastic fibres were observed in biopsy specimens taken from earlobe creases depicting the vasculature morphology present in the coronary bed, pathognomonic of CAD.

Another Japanese study concluded that ELC is a useful dermatological indicator of an accelerated ageing process, as suggested by excessive telomere loss, and might be a useful indirect marker of high-risk patients.

As I think about now, it's not just Frank's sign. There have been other indicators. Over the past couple of years, I've had difficulty remembering my dreams. They fade as soon as I awake. I've thought of this as a sign of cognitive change ever since it started. Most startling of all however, has been the sarcopenia, the drastic loss of muscle mass that has seen my weight plummet from 77kg to 64 kg. Ever since returning to Australia in July of 2015, my ageing process seems to have accelerated. In late July 2016, my gallbladder failed and needed to be removed. Yet another sign that all was not well internally.

Today (26th March 2018), when I met my brother Tony for the first time since my DELC discovery, I noticed that he has a crease on his right ear lobe but not his left. He is 11 years younger than me and currently 58 years old. I didn't mention anything to him about the matter because he has enough health problems to contend with.

Today's discovery is life-changing and, while not a death sentence, it does bring provoke introspection. Therefore I've drawn up a chart for the approximate time (link to Astrology section).