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Suen LKP, Yeh CH, Yeung SKW, Kwan JYM, Wong HF, Chan D, Cheung ASP, Yeung VTF. Association between Auricular Signals and the Risk Factors of Metabolic Syndrome. MEDICINES 2017; 4:medicines4030045. [PMID: 28930260 PMCID: PMC5622380 DOI: 10.3390/medicines4030045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2017] [Revised: 06/19/2017] [Accepted: 06/19/2017] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Objective: This study aims to determine the association between auricular signals and the risk factors of metabolic syndrome (MS). Methods: A case-control study with an equal number of cases and controls matched by age group and gender was conducted. A total of 204 participants were recruited. Patients were verified as having MS based on the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) criteria. Auricular assessment was conducted in the following sequence: visual inspection, electrical skin resistance test (ESRT), and pressure pain test (PPT). Results: MS+ patients tend to have much more oily auricle complexion than the controls. The ‘endocrine’ (right) of the participants with MS indicated a significantly higher electrical conductivity compared to that of the controls. The MS group participants experienced significant tenderness on the ‘heart’ and ‘endocrine’ acupoints. A number of auricular signals were also associated with the risk factors of MS, including age, gender, smoking status, family history of diabetes, and comorbid illnesses. Both the ‘heart’ and ‘endocrine’ acupoints showed the highest sensitivity to tenderness (60.8%), followed by the ‘endocrine’ (59.8%) and ‘pancreas and gallbladder’ (55.9%). Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that electrical conductivity and tenderness of a number of auricular points, including the ‘heart’, ‘pancreas and gall bladder’, and ‘endocrine’, are associated with MS and its risk factors. Further investigations with a larger sample size could be conducted to verify the value of these auricular signals on MS risk prediction so that this method can be used as an early screening method for the population with a high MS risk.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Chao Hsing Yeh
- Associate Professor, Acute and Chronic Care, Johns Hopkins School of Nursing 21205, Baltimore, MD, USA.
| | | | - Jojo Yee Mei Kwan
- Centre for Diabetes Education & Management, Our Lady of Maryknoll Hospital, Hong Kong, China.
| | - Hon Fat Wong
- School of Nursing, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China.
| | - David Chan
- Kinetics Medical & Health Group Co. Ltd, Hong Kong.
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Kamal R, Kausar K, Qavi AH, Minto MH, Ilyas F, Assad S, Shah SU. Diagonal Earlobe Crease as a Significant Marker for Coronary Artery Disease: A Case-control Study. Cureus 2017; 9:e1013. [PMID: 28331775 PMCID: PMC5338988 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.1013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Objectives: To investigate the association between diagonal earlobe crease (DELC) and coronary artery disease (CAD). Limited data exists in South Asia and no prior studies have been performed in Pakistan to assess this relationship. Methods: In this case-control study, 200 participants from December 2015 to March 2016 at Shifa International Hospital, Islamabad, Pakistan were enrolled. Consecutive non-probability sampling was used to recruit patients. Cases were enrolled from cardiac care unit (CCU) of the hospital with angiography-proven CAD. Controls were selected from surgical, medical and neurology units of the hospital if they had no previously established evidence or symptoms of CAD. Patients were evaluated in terms of age and any history of hypertension, diabetes and/or smoking. Cases and controls were examined separately by two investigators for the unilateral or bilateral presence of DELC of the lobular portion of either auricle. Patients with ear piercings were excluded from the study. The data was analyzed in statistical product and service solutions (SPSS) (IBM, Delaware, Chicago), and an online statistical software. Results: Out of the 200 patients, 126 (63%) were males and 74 (37%) were females. In the 100 cases, 76 had DELC and 24 had no crease whereas, among the 100 controls, 36 had DELC and 64 had no DELC (p <0.001, OR = 5.63, CI = 2.91-10.93). The prevalence of diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, smoking among the cases and controls were 66%, 53%, 27% and 27%, 18%, 25% respectively. The effect of hypertension and diabetes on the presence of DELC was statistically significant (p <0.05) but the impact of smoking on DELC presence was insignificant (p >0.05). Conclusion: There is a significant association between DELC and CAD. This is the first case-control study from South Asia disclosing this important correlation. Our study also reports a high frequency of DELC in patients suffering from hypertension and diabetes mellitus. No association between smoking and DELC was found.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rida Kamal
- Department of Medicine, Shifa College of Medicine, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Komal Kausar
- Department of Medicine, Shifa College of Medicine, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Ahmed H Qavi
- Department of Medicine, Montefiore New Rochelle Hospital, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New Rochelle, NY, USA
| | - Moeed H Minto
- Department of Medicine, Eastbourne District General Hospital, UK
| | - Fariha Ilyas
- Department of Medicine, University of Texas at Austin, Dell Medical School, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Salman Assad
- Department of Medicine, Shifa Tameer-e-Millat University, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Saeed U Shah
- Department of Cardiology, Shifa College of Medicine, Islamabad, Pakistan
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Agouridis AP, Elisaf MS, Nair DR, Mikhailidis DP. Ear lobe crease: a marker of coronary artery disease? Arch Med Sci 2015; 11:1145-55. [PMID: 26788075 PMCID: PMC4697048 DOI: 10.5114/aoms.2015.56340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2014] [Accepted: 11/25/2014] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The ear lobe crease (ELC) has been defined as a deep wrinkle that extends backwards from the tragus to the auricle. It has been proposed that ELC is a predictor of coronary artery disease (CAD). In this review, we consider the possible association between ELC and CAD. Our aim is to systematically address all the relevant evidence in this field. There are many studies that support an association between ELC and CAD. However, other studies did not find such an association. A recent meta-analysis supports the hypothesis that ELC could be a marker of CAD. However, several limitations raise doubts as to whether we should accept this link.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aris P. Agouridis
- Department of Internal Medicine, Medical School, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry (Vascular Disease Prevention Clinics), Royal Free London Foundation Trust, Pond Street, London, UK
| | - Moses S. Elisaf
- Department of Internal Medicine, Medical School, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece
| | - Devaki R. Nair
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry (Vascular Disease Prevention Clinics), Royal Free London Foundation Trust, Pond Street, London, UK
| | - Dimitri P. Mikhailidis
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry (Vascular Disease Prevention Clinics), Royal Free Hospital Campus, University College London Medical School, University College London (UCL), London, UK
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Association of Auricular Reflective Points and Status of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Matched Case-Control Study. EVIDENCE-BASED COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE 2015; 2015:981563. [PMID: 26089953 PMCID: PMC4452325 DOI: 10.1155/2015/981563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2015] [Revised: 04/16/2015] [Accepted: 05/01/2015] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The reflexive
property of the ear can cause various physical
attributes to appear on the auricle in the
presence of bodily disorders. The association of
auricular signals (presence or absence of
discoloration, marks after pressing, tenderness,
and electrical resistance) and diabetes mellitus
(DM) should be further investigated because
auricular diagnosis is an objective, painless,
and noninvasive method that provides rapid
access to information. A matched
case-control study on 282 subjects was
conducted. Cases
(n = 141)
were defined as those diagnosed with type 2 DM
(T2DM). Every subject in the case group was
matched with the control by age and gender. Ear
diagnosis was conducted in three aspects:
inspection, electrical detection, and tenderness
testing. Results suggest that the tenderness and
electrical conductivity of some auricular
points, including “pancreas and
gallbladder,” “endocrine,”
“kidney,” “lower
tragus,” “heart,” and
“eyes,” were associated with T2DM
status in Chinese population. In the subgroup
analyses, certain auricular signals were also
associated with glycemic control, disease
duration, and related complications. Auricular
diagnosis could be considered as a screening
method for vulnerable populations with T2DM
risk. Thus, appropriate interventions can be
implemented to prevent or delay the progression
of T2DM.
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Suen LKP, Yeh CH, Lee WK, Chu WL, Loo JFY, Tam WH. Association of auricular reflective points and the status of lower urinary tract symptoms in aging males. Aging Male 2015; 18:149-56. [PMID: 26030348 DOI: 10.3109/13685538.2015.1027679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This study aimed to investigate the association between auricular reflective points and the status of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) among Chinese aging males. METHODS A total of 113 male participants, with 69 having LUTS (LUTS+ve) and 44 having no LUTS (LUTS-ve), were recruited for this case-control study. Ear diagnosis was conducted in three ways: inspection, electrical skin resistance measurement, and tenderness testing. RESULTS Quality of life was lower among the LUTS+ve cases than among the LUTS-ve cases. The tenderness and electrical conductivity of a number of auricular points, including the "angle of superior concha", the "urinary bladder", the "ureter", the "kidney", the "urethra", and the "internal genitals" were associated with LUTS in the Chinese aging males. In terms of electrical conductivity, the "angle of superior concha" on both ears exhibited the highest sensitivity among the other auricular points under testing. This auricular point also demonstrated considerable sensitivity, specificity, and positive/negative predictive values for both ears during the tenderness testing. CONCLUSIONS Auricular diagnosis has a pre-diagnostic value and could be considered as a screening method for the aging population with relatively high LUTS risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorna K P Suen
- a School of Nursing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University , Hong Kong , P.R. China
| | - Chao Hsing Yeh
- b School of Nursing, University of Pittsburgh , Pittsburgh , USA
| | - Wing Ki Lee
- c Bamboos Professional Nursing Service Limited , Hong Kong , P.R. China
| | | | - June F Y Loo
- e Caritas Chan Chun Ha Hostel , Hong Kong , P.R. China , and
| | - Wai Huen Tam
- f Christian Family Service Centre , Hong Kong , P.R. China
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Lucenteforte E, Romoli M, Zagli G, Gensini GF, Mugelli A, Vannacci A. Ear lobe crease as a marker of coronary artery disease: a meta-analysis. Int J Cardiol 2014; 175:171-5. [PMID: 24866080 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijcard.2014.04.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2014] [Accepted: 04/02/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ersilia Lucenteforte
- NEUROFARBA, Department of Neurosciences, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health, Section of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Center for Integrative Medicine, Florence University, Careggi General Hospital, Florence, Italy
| | - Marco Romoli
- Florence University, Careggi General Hospital, Florence, Italy
| | - Giovanni Zagli
- Anaesthesiology Unit, Florence University, Careggi General Hospital, Florence, Italy
| | - Gian Franco Gensini
- Department of Critical Care Medicine and Surgery, Florence University, Careggi General Hospital, Florence, Italy
| | - Alessandro Mugelli
- NEUROFARBA, Department of Neurosciences, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health, Section of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Center for Integrative Medicine, Florence University, Careggi General Hospital, Florence, Italy
| | - Alfredo Vannacci
- NEUROFARBA, Department of Neurosciences, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health, Section of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Center for Integrative Medicine, Florence University, Careggi General Hospital, Florence, Italy.
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