General responses to selected questions from Joel Braunstein, MD, of Johns Hopkins University and Joseph Toscano, MD.
Question:
My father died at 56 from heart disease and my older brother at 44. I have creases in both earlobes and grey rings around my corneas. Are these still considered indicators of heart disease? I'm 52 years old, 5'10", 165 lbs, and in good shape.
Answer:
Earlobe creases and grey rings around the corneas are not risk factors for heart disease. One eye finding which may be related to an increased risk for heart disease is xanthalasma (pronounced "zan-thah-laz-mah"), which are thin, yellowish deposits in the skin around the eyelids. The grey rings around the cornea are most likely "senile arcus," an unfortunately terrible name describing something which happens to the outward appearance of some people's eyes as they age.
Based on your note, one of your own notable risk factors for heart disease is, however, your family history of heart disease. Part of everyone's risk has to do with heredity. Of course, there is nothing you can do about changing this, but you should work hard to control those risk factors for heart disease over which you have some control. This will be even more important for you than for someone without a family history of heart disease. Controlling your risk factors includes eating a low fat/low cholesterol diet, getting regular exercise, avoiding cigarettes, and controlling high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol levels, and diabetes, if you have any of these.
