Is extreme forehead wrinkles a sign of heart disease?

SEE-August27th: A study published at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress in Munich today found that those who have more wrinkles than what is usual for their age had a higher risk of dying from atherosclerosis, according to Daily Mail.

Wrinkles is linked to atherosclerosis which is a major contributor to heart attacks and other cardiovascular problems.

Tiny blood vessels in the forehead may be more sensitive to plaque build-up meaning wrinkles could be a sign of the vessels ageing, the study suggests.

The study followed a group of 3200 working adults who were all healthy and were aged 32, 42, 52 and 62.

Scientists focused on the  number and depth of wrinkles on the participant's foreheads. A score of zero meant no wrinkles while a score of three meant "numerous deep wrinkles".

People with one wrinkle score had a slightly higher risk of dying of cardiovascular disease than people with no wrinkles, the study claims

15.2 % hd score two and three wrinkles, 6.6 %  had score one wrinkles and 2.1 % had no wrinkles.

Those who had 2-3 wrinkle scores had 10 times the risk of dying compared with people who had wrinkle scores of zero.

Study author Yolande Esquirol, associate professor of occupational health at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Toulouse in France, said: "Risk of heart disease increases as people age, but lifestyle and medical interventions can mitigate the danger. The challenge is in identifying high-risk patients early enough to make a difference."

"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," she added.