Numerous, deep forehead wrinkles could be a visual cue that a patient is more at risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD), according to research presented Aug. 26 at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress in Munich.
Researchers suggested this simple clue could help clinicians identify high-risk individuals and provide lifestyle advice or order further testing.
Yolande Esquirol and colleagues followed 3,200 working adults for 20 years after categorizing them based on a “forehead wrinkle score” at the beginning of the study. All participants were aged 32, 42, 52 or 62 and free of CVD at baseline.
A score of zero meant no wrinkles while the maximum score of three meant “numerous deep wrinkles,” according to an ESC press release issued in conjunction with the presentation. Compared to patients with a score of zero, those with a wrinkle score of one had a slightly higher risk of dying due to CVD during follow-up. However, those with a score of two or three showed nearly 10 times the risk of cardiovascular death, even after adjusting for age, gender, education, smoking status and other cardiovascular risk factors such as blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
“Forehead wrinkles may be a marker of atherosclerosis,” Esquirol said in the release. “This is the first time a link has been established between cardiovascular risk and forehead wrinkles so the findings do need to be confirmed in future studies, but the practice could be used now in physicians’ offices and clinics. It doesn’t cost anything and there is no risk.”
The researchers reiterated that analyzing furrowed brows shouldn’t replace current methods for assessing cardiovascular risk, but said the technique could raise a warning at an earlier stage. Because blood vessels in the forehead are so small, Esquirol and colleagues said they may be more sensitive to plaque buildup—meaning wrinkles there could be among the first signs of vessel aging and atherosclerosis.
Daniel joined TriMed’s Chicago editorial team in 2017 as a Cardiovascular Business writer. He previously worked as a writer for daily newspapers in North Dakota and Indiana.