Study To Evaluate The Frequency Of Diagonal Earlobe Crease As A Marker Of Coronary Artery Disease And Its Risk Factors In Tertiary Hospital Of East India.

ABSTRACT

Background: In coronary artery disease (CAD), the DELC (diagonal ear lobe crease) has been proposed as a marker but association remains controversial. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the frequency of DELC in patients with CAD. Materials and Methods: One hundred fifty four patients with coronary artery angiography proven CAD from RIMS, Ranchi, Jharkhand, India were evaluated for the presence or absence of DELC. The DELC was said to be present if the patient had crease extending diagonally from the tragus across the lobule to the rear edge of the without discontinuity. Observation DELC was seen in 82 patients out of 154, and the prevalence was 53.24%. Prevalence of Hypertension, diabetes and dyslipidemia were 38.3% ,33.8% and 24.0% respectively and hypertension, diabetes and dyslipidemia were insignificant(P=0.245, P=0.526, P=0.203 respectively).There were 43 smoker (27.9%) and DELC with smoking was significant with p value(0.021). Conclusion: The frequency of DELC in patients with CAD was high in our study. The data suggest that the DELC sign may be a useful marker for the presence of CAD in patients and may help in early segregating at risk patient of CAD