Background: The earlobe crease (ELC) has been linked to coronary artery disease and other vascular conditions, but there is no information on its association with intracranial atherosclerosis. Objective: This study aimed to assess the association between high calcium content in the carotid siphons (as a surrogate of intracranial atherosclerosis) and ELC in communitydwelling adults living in rural Ecuador. Methods: Atahualpa residents aged ≥40 years underwent head CT to estimate calcium content in the carotid siphons, and visual inspection of both earlobes to evaluate the presence of ELC. The association between both variables was assessed by logistic regression models, after adjusting for demographics and cardiovascular risk factors. Results: Of 651 enrolled individuals (mean age: 59.7±12.8 years; 54% women), 225 (35%) had ELC, and 143 (22%) had high calcium content in the carotid siphons. Univariate logistic regression showed a borderline (non-significant) association between high calcium content in the carotid siphons and ELC presence (OR: 1.44; 95% C.I.: 0.99 – 2.12; p=0.057), which disappeared when age (OR: 0.98; 95% C.I.: 0.65 – 1.48; p=0.923) and other covariables (OR: 0.97; 95% C.I.: 0.63 – 1.49; p=0.890) were added to the model. Conclusion: This population study shows no association between high calcium content in the carotid siphons and ELC presence.
atahualpa project
Feasibility of Global Sleep Research in Rural Areas of Low-and-Middle-Income Countries. The Atahualpa Project Experience
Changes in lifestyle, including sedentarism, shift work and increased visual contamination, have modified sleep patterns and increased the prevalence of sleep-related disorders in remote rural areas of many low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). However, there is scarce information on the public health impact of sleep-related disorders in these regions and publications lack consistency in their design and use of research tools, which creates barriers for proper comparison of results across populations. Moreover, in the largest studies on sleep-related disorders conducted in LMIC, individuals were interviewed with only one or two questions, which might not reflect the actual magnitude of the problem. In our opinion, the goal should not be to interview tens of thousands of individuals but to study them well by selecting representative populations of different regions to evaluate them thoughtfully and uniformly.
