In spite of advances in the diagnosis and treatment, the mortality in coronary heart disease remains high. Number of risk factors blamed for coronary heart disease are diabetes mellitus, hypertension, type A personality, raised cholesterol, family history of ischaemic heart disease, chronic alcoholism, obesity, tobacco addiction, long term use of oral contraceptive pills etc. Hence, primordial prevention is the key for controlling this deadly disease.The present study has been attempted to evaluate skin crease over the ear lobe - as a physical marker of coronary artery disease. It is carried out at S.R.T.R. Medical college Hospital Ambajogai comprising 100 cases of coronary artery disease. The age sex and other risk factors matched to 100 control cases attending the medicine O.P.D. without having coronary artery disease. All cases were examined for ear lobe crease, characterized by deep diagonal wrinkle in lobar portion of one or both auricles extending for a distance greater than or equal to one third of ear lobe length. In study group, 72% cases had ear lobe crease while in control group 14% cases had ear lobe crease. By applying test of significance the probability was less than 0.001 i.e. highly significant. Then odd ratio was calculated and it was 15.79, suggesting that, if other risk factors are matched, person with ear lobe crease is 15.79 times at more risk to have coronary artery disease, than without.

Key words: Ear lobe crease, coronary heart disease, physical marker\\\' or \\\'a cutaneous skin marker