Frank's sign

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Normal Ear Anatomy

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.

It has been hypothesised that Frank's sign is a sign of cardiovascular disease 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. In contrast, other studies have rebutted any association between Frank's sign and coronary artery disease.

Some studies have focused upon bilateral ELC.

The sign is named after Dr. Sanders T. Frank.

Severity

• Grade 3 - A deep crease across the whole of the earlobe
• Grade 2a - Creased more than halfway across the earlobe
• Grade 2b - A superficial crease across the earlobe
• Grade 1 - A small amount of wrinkling on the earlobe

External links

• Discussion at The Straight Dope[1]

Notable Individuals with Frank's Sign

• George W. Bush: Link to The Guardian on-line newspaper article with photograph revealing Frank's sign [2]
• Barney Frank: Link to wikipedia commons file revealing Frank's sign [3]
• Steven Spielberg: Link to Rotten Tomatoes image revealing Frank's sign[4]
• Lech Walesa: Link to the Polish American Cultural Center biography picture revealing Frank's sign[5]

Links to images

• Frank's Sign from Hong Kong
• Grade 2a Frank's Sign
• Illustration of Frank's Sign