David Beckham, who is arguably one of the most well‑recognized athletes of his generation, seems to have caught the attention of a medical professional.
Keep reading to learn more.
A doctor has made a startling observation regarding footballer David Beckham’s health. According to the doctor, the athlete has a diagonal wrinkle on his right earlobe, commonly known as “Frank’s Crease.”
Studies suggest the feature is often associated with atherosclerosis, a condition in which fatty deposits line the blood vessels.
The Lithuanian cardiologist, Rokas Šerpytis, who noticed the detail, then looked into Beckham’s family history and discovered that life‑threatening cardiac events are common in his family.
“I’m not going to call D. Beckham and ask if he’s had tests. But you could look at his parents,” the cardiologist said.
“I typed ‘heart attack’ and ‘Beckham’s dad’ into the search engine and got an article: the footballer is traveling to England to visit his 59‑year‑old father in the hospital after a heart attack,” he explained.
He found that on September 26, 2007, the senior David Beckham was rushed to a hospital. At the time, it was reported that the 59‑year‑old underwent an operation to unblock his arteries and that his condition after the procedure was “stable.”
Šerpytis’ observation is based on a study conducted in 1973. The earlobe anomaly, known as a diagonal earlobe crease (DELC), was first described by Dr. Sanders T. Frank, who observed it in 20 patients.
A 2021 Oxford study described DELC as a “dermatological marker for coronary artery disease” and called it a “useful clinical sign” for the condition.
In the 2021 paper, the crease was described as one that “extends backwards from the tragus (the pointed piece of cartilage at the front of the ear canal) at an angle of 45 degrees across the lobule to the outer edge of the auricle.”
However, the paper also noted that “it does not provide a conclusive relationship.”
While some take the feature seriously, others—like Dr. Paul D. Thompson, Chief Cardiologist‑Emeritus at Hartford Hospital in Connecticut—do not.
Speaking to the media, he said that although he remembers the topic being mentioned in medical school, “I don’t think serious preventive cardiologists give it much credence. I don’t.”
Speaking to Bored Panda, the doctor—who publishes under 500 Rules of Cardiology on Substack—said that while the topic came up in medical school between 1973 and 1975, he never considered it particularly important. “I don’t think serious preventive cardiologists give it much credence,” he reiterated.
“I don’t look for it, don’t write about it in my patient notes, etc. There are much better measurements, including the standard ones,” he said when explaining how he diagnoses medical issues.
Dr. Thompson added that, based on his career and experience, he has never been able to make a connection between the ear crease and heart problems.
“I also cannot make up a good physiological reason why it would have medical significance. Could be wrong, but you asked for my thoughts,” he said.
David Beckham turned 50 this year, so naturally, his health deserves more attention.
Twenty percent of people under 40 have been observed to have the earlobe feature, while 75 percent of people over 60 show it. Of those, according to the CDC, only 10 percent experience heart disease.
While the warning may not be dire, Šerpytis still advises Beckham to be cautious, saying, “David himself is now 50 years old, a time when it would be very useful to take care of his health and adjust risk factors.”
