Frank's sign
Frank's sign or Frank sign is a diagonal ear lobe crease (ELC) extending diagonally from the tragus across the lobule to the rear edge of the auricle.[1]
It has been hypothesised that Frank's sign is indicative of cardiovascular disease[2] and/or diabetes. Some studies have described Frank's sign as a marker of cardiovascular disease but not linked to the severity of the condition.[3] In contrast, other studies have rebutted any association between Frank's sign and coronary artery disease.[4]
However, researchers[who?] do agree that these creases have no predictive value in Native American Indian and Oriental patients[citation needed].
Some studies have focused upon bilateral ELC.[5]
The sign is named after Dr. Sanders T. Frank.[citation needed]
Severity
- Grade 3 - A deep crease across the whole of the earlobe[citation needed]
- Grade 2a - Creased more than halfway across the earlobe[citation needed]
- Grade 2b - A superficial crease across the earlobe[citation needed]
- Grade 1 - A small amount of wrinkling on the earlobe[citation needed]
Notable Individuals with Frank's Sign
- George W. Bush: Link to The Guardian on-line newspaper article with photograph revealing Frank's sign [1]
- Barney Frank: Link to wikipedia commons file revealing Frank's sign [2]
- Steven Spielberg: Link to Rotten Tomatoes image revealing Frank's sign[3]
- Lech Walesa: Link to the Polish American Cultural Center biography picture revealing Frank's sign[4]
![[2]](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Barney_Frank.jpg){kind=link}
![[3]](http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/celeb/top_100/steven_spielberg.jpg){kind=link}
![[4]](http://www.polishamericancenter.org/Pictures/walesa.jpg){kind=link}
Links to images
References
- ^ Frank ST (1973). "Aural sign of coronary-artery disease". N. Engl. J. Med. 289 (6): 327–8. doi:10.1056/NEJM197308092890622. PMID 4718047.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - ^ 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
- ^ Lesbre JP, Castier B, Tribouilloy C, Labeille B, Isorni C (1987). "[Frank's sign and coronary disease]". Ann Cardiol Angeiol (Paris) (in French). 36 (1): 37–41. PMID 3827155.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Davis TM, Balme M, Jackson D, Stuccio G, Bruce DG (2000). "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". Aust N Z J Med. 30 (5): 573–7. doi:10.1111/j.1445-5994.2000.tb00858.x. PMID 11108067.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Evrengül H, Dursunoğlu D, Kaftan A; et al. (2004). "Bilateral diagonal earlobe crease and coronary artery disease: a significant association". Dermatology (Basel). 209 (4): 271–5. doi:10.1159/000080847. PMID 15539887.
{{cite journal}}: Explicit use of et al. in:|author=(help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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