[Diagonal crease in the ear lobe in ischemic heart disease].

Patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) show the presence of the diagonal fold of the earlobe both more frequently and in a more pronounced form. The more prominent the changes in the coronary vessels of the heart revealed by coronarography and the lower the tolerance of CHD patients toward exercise, the more frequent and marked the occurrence of the earlobe diagonal fold. The diagnostic use of this simple sign may contribute to an early detection of CHD patients, particularly under conditions of the mass screening of the population.