Back on the 20th of December, 2009, I ran a
photo (left) of Obama that showed a large scar on the right side
of his head.
A reader emailed The Obama File a blow-up of the image and this tip. In addition to the large scar, the larger image (right)
also clearly shows that Obama's ear lobe has a crease.
The
National Institute of Health conducted a
study
on the value of the ear-crease sign in predicting the presence of
coronary artery disease. The study consisted of 340 consecutive
patients who underwent coronary arteriography. In this selected
population, 75.6% of whom had coronary artery disease, the sensitivity
of the sign was 59.5%, the specificity 81.9% and the positive predictive
value 91.1%.
The sign was associated with increasing age but was
also independently associated with obstructive coronary artery disease.
No significant correlation was found between the sign and the presence
of risk factors or other signs of such disease, except for corneal arcus.
In symptomatic patients the sign suggested the presence of more
extensive coronary artery disease. In an asymptomatic population
with a low prevalence of coronary artery disease it appears to be of
limited value in predicting obstructive coronary artery disease.
However, it may identify a subset of patients prone to early
ageing and to the early development of coronary artery disease, whose
prognosis might be improved by early preventive measures.
Coronary artery disease (CAD) is an important
health concern
for African Americans, who are diagnosed with CAD at high rates.
The scar itself is interesting.
In "Dreams..," there are two
references to scars. Only one applies to Obama, and that resulted
from a large cut on his arm he received as a child in Indonesia (page
49).
Obama also tells of a wound he received on his head (page
36), also in Indonesia, when struck by a rock, thrown by another
child. In the book, Lolo Soetoro describes the wound -- "it's not
bleeding."
There's no mention of Obama's wound in the
single-page "doctor's note"
he released during the campaign (by comparison, John McCain released
1,173 pages of his
medical records to the press). So where did that nasty "hockey
stick-shaped" scar on Obama's head come from? -- an accident? -- a
mugging? -- an operation? You know he remembers.
More About That Scar
Another Look At The Scar
Taken during Obama's December, 2011"shopping" photo op.
