Ear crease

Hello everyone,
Please bear with me.......
A comment I heard on radio many years ago, and which I'd forgotten about until a few months ago, has since had me surreptitiously checking out the ears of everyone I meet who happens to mention that they have heart problems.

Apparently, if you have heart problems you develop a crease across your ear lobe.
The doctor who made this statement said this phenomenon had been discovered accidentally while looking for something else in a group of heart patients.
I'd actually forgotten all about it until I was having difficulty putting in a pierced earring a few months ago - the post kept slipping into the crease instead of into the pierced hole, and suddenly that strange comment popped back into my head.
Has anyone else heard this? Do you have a crease?
I certainly do, on my right ear lobe and I had the crease long before I was actually diagnosed with AF.
Dad had creases in both ear lobes (died of heart failure in 2004) and my youngest sister, who was born with a heart murmur, also has a crease in her right ear lobe.
And, yes, people I have met who have voluntarily informed me they have heart problems have them in either one ear lobe or both.
I don't know whether one is born with the crease, or whether it develops as the heart disease develops.
Is it just coincidence? Worth doing a quick survey? - I'm sure you are all checking out your ears in the mirror! - what do you think?
The worst thing that could happen is that I look a fool when ear creases are not found in everyone with heart problems, but I'm used to looking a fool - I'll try anything that might be of help in killing the Beast!
best wishes for permanent sinus rhythm,
Emmie

I have ear creases in both ears - horizontally with my face. Interesting. I have had afib for many years. I thought the creases were just age related.

[www.medhelp.org]

My understanding of this is that impaired circulation is the cause of the creases and is an indicator of some heart related issues.

And here I thought the creases were from wearing those heavy, dangly earrings that I had in the 60s & 70s.... :>)

Emmie - Howie has found an opinion by an MD. I've heard many doctors expressing the fact that the creases correlate with cardiovascular problems.... the creases have to be horizontal. The ones that are vertical are typically from as Marilyn says - heavy earrings.

As a dental hygienist, I had many years (25) to observe patients' earlobes and correlate that with their health histories. I found no conclusive correlation. Some who went in for bypass surgeries had pristine earlobes. Others with terrible creasing were living well in their 90's with no heart issues or seemingly other health issues either.

It makes sense about the circulation, but I think the jury is still out.

Jackie

Dear all,
thank you all so much for your input - I found that website very interesting, Howie, I'll be checking it out from time to time.
I feel less anxious now about the possible development of ear creases in my grandchildren. (I only see them on an annual basis as we live far apart)
I was particulary interested to read about the creases being horizontal - mine are diagonal and so were Dad's. He had rheumatic fever twice in his life but according to test results, I have no underlying heart disease.
Perhaps I'd do better to forget about the creases as a clue to heart disease!
thanks again for your kindness in taking time to reply,
Emmie

I have creases on my forehead dose this mean I will have a heart attack or is it just wrinkles?

Only joking around, dont want to upset anyone just thought it was a funny article.

In addition to this, I was going through old files and found this comment from cardiologist, Peter Langsjoen, which I find humorous...thought I'd share with you.

TO REDUCE THE RISK OF HEART DISEASE, WHY DON’T WE ALL CUT OFF OUR EAR LOBES?

By Dr. Peter H. Langsjoen

The British Medical Journal (BMJ) recently published a proposal calling for the development of a "polypill," a medication consisting of six different drugs, aimed at reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease by 80 per cent or more.

This proposal is an unbelievable exaggeration of any drug benefits that such a polypill could possibly provide, and it represents a great minimization of potential drug side effects.

At its core, the proposal, in effect, implies that risk factors are causative. If that’s the case, why don’t we do some novel prevention work. For example, since a deep ear lobe crease is a risk factor for coronary artery disease, why not cut off our ear lobes after the age of 55, or for that matter, why not start snipping them off at birth? After all, the sooner the intervention, the better, and the small inconvenience is certainly worth the millions of lives and billions of dollars that might be saved.

Then there’s the issue of adverse drug effects. It is a basic principle of medicine to start medication (when necessary), one prescription at a time, so that when a patient develops an adverse effect it is simple to identify the offending agent and alter treatment.

The polypill would include three anti-hypertensive drugs:

* A thiazide diuretic, which, for example, may be associated with rash, sun sensitivity, leg cramps and potassium depletion.
*A beta blocker, which, for example, may be associated with fatigue and impotence.
* An ACE inhibitor, which, among other things, may be associated with a cough.

Next: aspirin, which may be associated with allergic reactions, GI distress and iron deficiency anemia.

Then, of course, the polypill would include what I believe is the most insidious toxin ever prescribed to humans: a statin (cholesterol-lowering) drug.

At least commonly toxic drugs, such as chemotherapeutic agents, are obvious in their rather immediate side effects. Statins, on the other hand, bring about a gradual, insidious state of fatigue, muscle soreness and eventually heart muscle weakness, which comes on after many months or years. Furthermore, there is evidence for statin-related increases in cancer, peripheral neuropathy and cognitive impairment.

Folic acid would also be part of the polypill. It is associated with homocysteine lowering and therefore makes some theoretical sense. Perhaps the polypill proponents may have added this to give their proposed product an aura of safety.

Last, but not least, I am dumbstruck by the idea of making the polypill available without a medical examination. Would such a pill be sold over-the-counter? According to BMJ editor, Richard Smith, it might even be washed down with wine at a pub. What an insult to good wine! Can you imagine having a wonderful evening at the pub only later to discover that you’re impotent from the beta-blocker, coughing your head off from the ACE inhibitor, having terrible leg cramps from the diuretic, and awakening the next morning having forgotten everything due to statin-induced memory loss!

If we are gullible enough to believe that we are all somehow diseased after age 55, and that in order to save ourselves, we must swallow this toxic garbage pill, with blind confidence in the pharmaceutical/medical industry, then perhaps there is more than a little of the lemming in us all. Maybe in some mysterious way humans need to run off a cliff from time to time.

Peter H. Langsjoen, MD, is a cardiologist and biochemist with a clinical practice in Tyler, Texas. He comments frequently on cardiovascular issues and he has helped to pioneer research on Co-Enzyme Q10.

Wonderful Jackie !!

I was just looking at my earlobes and thinking how peculiar ears are and then you suggest cutting them off altogether! Anyway I can't see any creases in mine but staring in the mirror has made me aware of a few more lines on my face so now I'm REALLY depressed!

Sue - It wasn't my suggestion to cut them off, it was Dr. Langsjoen's tongue in cheek humor about how ridiculous some things are on the surface.

A few lines here or there shouldn't depress you, it's just a natural part of maturity and with that, we know comes much more wisdom and enjoyment of life. As they say, beauty is only skin deep. And think where we'd be if our brains didn't have all those wrinkles!

Smile.

Jackie

I have wrinkles on my ears
and wrinkles on my toes
I could have wrinkles in my nose
The ones I like the best
are the ones that come to rest
just outside my lips
those I call "smile blips."

Just a little of my spontaneous poetry, inspired by Emmie's "wrinkled ear" information. Emmie, I am not making fun of the information, I consider all information valuable, it just struck me as funny. Think I will go put some Olay on my ears...heck, I think I will take a bath in it...smile Sharon.