Caution if deep wrinkles are indented on the earlobe? ... "Sometimes there are no symptoms of this condition"

On a TV broadcast, a fan mentioned to Mr. Lee Kyung-kyu that his earlobe wrinkles look strange.

I have seen stories about receiving health check-ups.

If you observe the diagonal wrinkles on the earlobe carefully, it may indicate a person with coronary artery disease.

There are research findings suggesting that it may help in early detection of atrial fibrillation.

Actually, I am unfamiliar with discussions about arrhythmia or atrial fibrillation.

Even patients with atrial fibrillation have no symptoms or have a high mortality rate..

You should check your ears in the mirror once a day as well~

 

 

Diagonal wrinkle on the earlobe

 

Arrhythmia is a general term for cases where the heartbeat is too slow, too fast, or irregular.

The heartbeat should be consistently maintained at 60 to 100 beats per minute in the atrium, the upper part of the heart, but this can be considered an abnormal condition.

The most common arrhythmia is atrial fibrillation, which involves an abnormal heart rhythm.

Normally, electrical signals are generated in the sinoatrial node, located in the upper part of the heart, to regularly contract the ventricles in the lower part. However, in cases where signals originate from other parts of the atrium instead of the sinoatrial node, electrical impulses can burst out like fireworks, causing the atria to quiver faintly in a phenomenon called 'fibrillation' (細動).

Patients with atrial fibrillation are steadily increasing in number.

According to the "Korean Atrial Fibrillation Fact Sheet 2024" published by the Korean Society of Cardiology, the number of atrial fibrillation patients in Korea increased from 437,769 in 2013 to 940,063 in 2022, a 2.15-fold increase over nine years.

However, the society's analysis shows that only one in four patients diagnosed with arrhythmia is aware of atrial fibrillation, indicating a low level of awareness about the condition.

Experts advise that if atrial fibrillation is left untreated, it can lead to serious complications such as stroke, heart failure, and dementia, so early diagnosis and proper treatment are essential.

Most cases of atrial fibrillation occur frequently in patients with underlying heart conditions such as hypertension, valvular heart disease, coronary artery disease, and heart failure.

Hypertrophic and dilated cardiomyopathy, where the heart muscle becomes enlarged and thickened, is also one of the causes.

In addition, it can be accompanied by hyperthyroidism or chronic lung disease, and there are also cases that appear without an underlying cause.

Symptoms of atrial fibrillation range from no sensation at all to palpitations, chest pain, shortness of breath, and fainting.

These symptoms tend to frequently appear on the evening of the same day or the day after alcohol consumption.

Professor Shin Seung-yong of the Cardiology Department at Korea University Ansan Hospital said, "When you feel palpitations, it is necessary to identify the cause, but about 30% of patients do not have subjective symptoms like palpitations, which often leads to missed opportunities for early diagnosis and treatment." He added, "There are reports that even among patients with atrial fibrillation, those without symptoms or with atypical symptoms have a threefold higher mortality rate compared to those with symptoms."

Recent research has suggested that closely observing the diagonal wrinkles on the earlobe can help in early detection of atrial fibrillation in individuals with coronary artery disease.

Professor Jin Mu-nyeon’s research team from the Department of Cardiology at Ewha Mokdong Hospital published in the latest issue of the international journal 'Journal of Clinical Medicine' that, based on an average follow-up of approximately 3.7 years of 669 patients under 65 years old (average age 53.8 years) diagnosed with coronary artery disease and without atrial fibrillation, such an association was observed.

The wrinkle that forms at approximately a 45-degree angle on the earlobe is called 'Yiyeol' in Chinese characters and 'Frank's sign' in medical terminology.

 

<Source: SBS News>