Medicine:Frank's sign

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Short description: Diagonal crease in the ear lobe
Normal ear anatomy
Earlobe creases seen in a Japanese angina patient

Frank's sign is a diagonal crease in the ear lobe extending from the tragus across the lobule to the rear edge of the auricle.[1] The sign is named after Sanders T. Frank.[1]

It has been hypothesised that Frank's sign is indicative of cardiovascular disease[2][3] and/or diabetes.[4] Some studies have described Frank's sign as a marker of cardiovascular disease but not linked to the severity of the condition.[5] In contrast, other studies have rebutted any association between Frank's sign and coronary artery disease in diabetics.[6] There have also been reported cases of Frank's sign being a predictor of cerebral infarctions.[7] A link between Frank's sign and premature aging and the loss of dermal and vascular fibers has also been hypothesized.[8] Some studies have focused on association between bilateral earlobe crease and coronary artery disease.[9] It is probably prudent to consider Frank's Sign alongside other clinical markers of physiological ageing, rather than utilising it as a stand-alone sign in the identification of coronary artery disease.[10]

Severity

  • Grade 3 – A deep crease across the whole of the earlobe.
  • Grade 2b – Creased more than halfway across the earlobe.
  • Grade 2a – A superficial crease across the earlobe.
  • Grade 1 – A small amount of wrinkling on the earlobe.[11]

Notable individuals with Frank's sign

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Frank ST (August 1973). "Aural sign of coronary-artery disease". N. Engl. J. Med. 289 (6): 327–8. doi:10.1056/NEJM197308092890622. PMID 4718047. 
  2. ↑ Mallinson, Tom; Brooke, David (2017). "Frank's Sign as a clinical marker of cardiovascular disease". Journal of Paramedic Practice 9 (1): 8–10. doi:10.12968/jpar.2017.9.1.8. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/312104484. 
  3. ↑ Miot, H.A., Molina de Medeiros, M. etal (2006). Association between coronary artery disease and the diagonal earlobe an preauricular creases in men. Anais Brasileiros de Dermatologia. vol.81 no.1
  4. ↑ Mustafa Ahmed, M.D. (13 August 2014). "Earlobe Crease And Heart Disease – Fact Or Myth?". Abel Healthcare. http://myheart.net/articles/earlobe-crease-and-heart-disease-fact-or-myth/. 
  5. ↑ "[Frank's sign and coronary disease]" (in fr). Ann Cardiol Angeiol (Paris) 36 (1): 37–41. January 1987. PMID 3827155. 
  6. ↑ "The diagonal ear lobe crease (Frank's sign) is not associated with coronary artery disease or retinopathy in type 2 diabetes: the Fremantle Diabetes Study". Australian and New Zealand Journal of Medicine 30 (5): 573–7. October 2000. doi:10.1111/j.1445-5994.2000.tb00858.x. PMID 11108067. 
  7. ↑ Nazzal, Saleh; Hijazi, Basem; Khalila, Luai; Blum, Arnon (April 28, 2017). "Diagonal Earlobe Crease (Frank's Sign): A Predictor of Cerebral Vascular Events". The American Journal of Medicine 130 (11): 1324.e1–1324.e5. doi:10.1016/j.amjmed.2017.03.059. PMID 28460854. 
  8. ↑ George Griffing, M.D. (March 2014). "Frank's Sign". The New England Journal of Medicine 370 (15): e15. doi:10.1056/NEJMicm1213868. PMID 24597888. 
  9. ↑ "Bilateral diagonal earlobe crease and coronary artery disease: a significant association". Dermatology 209 (4): 271–5. 2004. doi:10.1159/000080847. PMID 15539887. http://content.karger.com/produktedb/produkte.asp?typ=fulltext&file=DRM2004209004271. 
  10. ↑ Mallinson TE, Brooke D (2017). "Limited Diagnostic Potential of Diagonal Earlobe Crease.". Ann Emerg Med 70 (4): 602–603. doi:10.1016/j.annemergmed.2017.06.013. PMID 28946988. 
  11. ↑ "Frank's Sign – Diagonal earlobe crease (DELC)". Stanford Medicine. July 2, 2015. https://stanfordmedicine25.stanford.edu/blog/archive/2015/what-is-the-name-of-this-sign.html. 
  12. ↑ Livingston, David (November 29, 2018). "Dick Van Dyke (age 92), Premiere Of Disney's 'Mary Poppins Returns' - Arrivals". Getty Images. https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/dick-van-dyke-attends-the-premiere-of-disneys-mary-poppins-news-photo/1074772874. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Lindsay, Jessica (March 27, 2018). "If you have this mark on your ear, it could be a warning you have heart disease". Metro. https://metro.co.uk/2018/03/27/mark-ear-warning-heart-disease-7420573/. 
  14. ↑ Wachs, Daliah (August 29, 2018). "Deep Forehead Wrinkles May Suggest Heart Disease Risk". KDWN. https://kdwn.com/2018/08/28/deep-forehead-wrinkles-may-suggest-heart-disease-risk/. 

External links



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