Dados do Trabalho

Título

Frank's sign as a predictor of cardiovascular disease and cognitive impairment in an elderly population: a cross-sectional study

Resumo

Introduction: Frank's sign consists of a diagonal crease in the earlobe that extends from the tragus to the inferior-posterior edge of the auricle. First described as a predictor of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), it was related to atherosclerosis, being later considered an independent cardiovascular risk factor and associated with cerebrovascular events and cognitive impairment. Objective: To assess the prevalence of Frank's sign in a general population aged 60 years or older regardless of the presence of cardiovascular risk factors and to evaluate the presence of this sign as a predictive factor of CVDs and cognitive impairment (CI). Method: Through a convenience sampling, we randomly recruited patients aged 60 years or older, not hospitalized, from health services not related to cardiovascular affections from ABC Region and Itapecerica da Serra, in Greater São Paulo, who had their ears photographed in profile, responded to either the Mini Mental State Examination or the Montreal Cognitive Assessment depending on years of education, and a questionnaire with epidemiological and clinical variables. This study was conducted according to the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) Statement guidelines. Results: We evaluated 500 individuals, wich 57% were women; 57% were white, 39% were black and 4% were asian; 55% had between 60 to 69 years; 64% had the sign; Frank's sign was associated with older people (p=0.015), white population (p<0.001), women (p<0.01), dyslipidemia (p=0.044) and had a tendency of association with hypertension (p=0.058), while there was no association with CI neither cardiovascular events as myocardial infarction or stroke. Conclusion: Frank's sign prevalence is more frequently found in white elderly women and doesn’t seem to be a good predictor of CVDs neither CI, however, it showed effect with cardiovascular risk factors. Prospective studies should be taken to assure whether this sign is a marker for CVDs in this population.