Doctor Spots Alarming Sign On Beckham’s Body, Warns He Could Have Just 9 Years Left Without Treatment

A doctor’s observations of an otherwise insignificant physical feature on David Beckham heralded an ominous health warning for the legendary English footballer.

On the athlete’s right earlobe is a diagonal wrinkle, better known as Frank’s sign. 

This feature, according to various studies, hints at atherosclerosis, a condition in which the host’s blood vessels are lined with fatty matter.

Without a means of reaching out to the celeb, Lithuanian cardiologist Rokas Šerpytis simply did a Google search and found that life-threatening cardiac events run in the Beckham family.

Cardiologist Rokas Šerpytis realized that his concerns had at least some merit when he learned David Beckham’s father suffered a cardiac event

David Beckham dressed in a beige suit, showing visible tattoos as a doctor notices a dangerous sign on Beckham's body.

Image credits: Getty / Karwai Tang

“I’m not going to call D. Beckham and ask if he’s had tests. But you could look at his parents,” said Šerpytis.

“I typed ‘heart attack’ and ‘Beckham’s dad’ into the search engine and got an article: the footballer is traveling to England to visit his 59-year-old father in the hospital after a heart attack.”

When he performed his search, he discovered that on September 26, 2007, at 9:20 p.m. in a northeastern suburb of London, Ted Beckham was rushed to the hospital.

Around the time, People reported an insider saying that the then-59-year-old underwent an operation to unblock his arteries and that following the procedure, his medical state was described as “stable.”

Šerpytis’s observations are based on a 1973 study

Close-up of a medical monitor showing vital signs and heart rate, highlighting a dangerous sign on Beckham's body.

Image credits: Unsplash+

The anomaly, also known as diagonal earlobe crease (DELC), that put Šerpytis onto this investigation was a diagonal “wrinkle” on Beckham’s right earlobe, which he described as “quite pronounced” on the now 49-year-old.

Šerpytis’ observations are based on a 1973 study by Dr. Sanders T. Frank that comprised 20 patients.

While Frank’s sign tends to be a clue, academic institutions are warning that it is not entirely accurate

Doctor with stethoscope wearing white coat examining patient, symbolizing dangerous sign on Beckham's body health concerns.

Image credits: Unsplash+

Frank’s findings have since led to broader and deeper examinations, and a 2021 Oxford study described DELC as a “dermatological marker for coronary artery disease” and “useful clinical sign” for the latter.

In the 2021 paper, the learning institute described the dermal marker as a crease that “extends backwards from the tragus (the pointed piece of cartilage located at the front of the ear canal) at an angle of 45 degree across the lobule to the ear edge of the auricle (the entire visible ear).”

But “it does not provide a conclusive relationship,” the university’s medical paper warned. 

“Its reliability as a diagnostic marker remains uncertain, and clinicians have not incorporated it into routine examinations,” observed another study published by the Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine.

Chief cardiologist at Hartford Hospital in Connecticut, Dr. Paul D. Thompson, says he has never used Frank’s sign in his work

Frank’s sign : diagonal crease of the ear lobe

Strongly been associated with coronary artery atherosclerosis 🚨🚨🚨#Usmle#DrSam👩🏼‍⚕️🩺 #medtwitter#match2024#match2023pic.twitter.com/F306ZUjS8l

— DrSamShuaibi (@drsamshuaibi) September 3, 2023

For professionals like Chief Cardiologist-Emeritus at Hartford Hospital in Connecticut, Dr Paul D. Thompson, the dermal anomaly bears no meaning at all.

Speaking exclusively to Bored Panda, the doctor, who publishes under 500 Rules of Cardiology on Substack, observed that the topic was touched on in medical school between 1973 and 1975.

Since then, it has made irregular appearances in the spotlight. 

“I don’t think serious preventive cardiologists give it much credence,” he elaborated. “I don’t.”

“I don’t look for it, don’t write about it in my patient notes, etc. There are much better measurements, including the standard,” when seeking out heart problems.

The expert says there are much easier ways to track down heart problems 

Close-up of Beckham's ear and neck tattoo showing a sign that a doctor considers dangerous on Beckham's body.

Image credits: Getty / Karwai Tang

Said standard could involve a study of patients’ genealogy for heart problems, the use of a stethoscope to check for heart murmurs, measurements of height, weight and blood pressure, along with examination of exercise habits and blood tests.

Also employed in the detection are electrocardiograms, which measure the heart’s electrical signals, and echocardiograms, which are ultrasounds that use sound waves to create images of the heart and its movements.

Exercise stress tests and X-rays may also be deployed in an attempt to make a diagnosis.

David Beckham with tattoos on his body, posing thoughtfully in a brown jacket, highlighting signs seen by a doctor.

Image credits: TIME100

Dr. Thompson, based on his experience in the field, can make no connection between Frank’s sign and heart issues.

“I also cannot make up a good physiological reason why it would have medical significance. Could be wrong, but you asked for my thoughts,” he writes.

Stanford Medicine tells its medical professionals to pay attention to their patients’ ears 

Heart monitor displaying vital signs with printed medical data, highlighting a dangerous sign on Beckham's body.

Image credits: Unsplash / Stephen Andrews

Expanding on these disclaimers, Stanford Medicine published a study in 2015 and wrote:

“It is more often present in patients presenting to cardiology service who have had previous coronary bypass surgery. 

“Just look at your patient’s ears next time you are on a cardiology ward!” instructed medical professionals.

Beckham is at an age where he should take precautions, says Šerpytis

David Beckham dressed formally in a hallway, showing a dangerous sign on Beckham’s body as noted by a doctor.

Image credits: Instagram / davidbeckham

Beckham, now fifty, fits neatly between two major statistical categories as far as a Springer study of DELC is concerned.

Twenty percent of people under the age of 40 have been observed to have the earlobe feature, while among those over 60, a tally found that 75 percent of individuals had the crease.

As a nod to Oxford and Stanford’s disclaimers, the CDC reported around the same time that only 10 percent of people in the same age bracket (60+) had heart disease.

According to Dr. Šerpytis, however, David Beckham would do well to keep an eye on his heart health at his current age

Beckham performing a pull-up exercise, showing his tattooed body with a doctor’s dangerous health sign concern.

Image credits: Instagram / davidbeckham

@healingwithlana Listen to Your Ears: Unveiling Heart Health Clues ❤️👂 That ear crease might hold a hidden message about your heart. Frank’s sign – an intriguing link between ear creases and heart attacks. Stay proactive: Prioritize heart health, get regular check-ups. Remember, prevention is key. Explore tests like carotid artery ultrasound and heart calcium scan. Clean diet, hydration, exercise – your allies. Discover potential supplements like nattokinase. Stay informed for more vital health insights. 🩺🌿 #healthtips#nutritionist#holistichealth#naturopath#naturopathy#hearthealth#heartattack#healthyheart#healthyeating#naturalremedies#healyourself♬ original sound – Lana, CNT, Naturopath

The internet appears to be well aware of Frank’s sign, with various people posting their concerns, especially on Reddit.

In response, the general sentiment appears to run along the lines of: “It’s not a myth but it’s also clinically irrelevant. Both can be true.”

Either way, Šerpytis warns, “David himself is now 50 years old, a time when it would be very useful to take care of his health and adjust risk factors,” perLrytas.

Netizen accounts also suggest that Frank’s sign is a bulletproof indication

Patrick Desamours, a verified medical professional, replies with the word interesting in a tweet thread discussing Beckham's health concerns.

Image credits: padesamours

Tweet by Scott discussing the dangerous sign on Beckham's body linked to his health and possible limited lifespan.

Image credits: rawson_scott

Tweet text discussing health concerns related to a dangerous sign on Beckham’s body and questions about his lifespan.

Image credits: LizNotEmilee

Tweet from SSGibbs replying about having a weird ear, relating to a possible dangerous sign on Beckham's body.

Image credits: SScottGibbs

Twitter user Kev O'Boyle reacting humorously about focusing on people's ears, related to doctor seeing dangerous sign on Beckham's body.

Image credits: kevoboyle

Tweet from user Sealion responding to a medical claim about Beckham’s health with skepticism about the evidence.

Image credits: FatSealion1

Tweet by Dr. Rawan Albluwi addressing myths about medical explanations related to Beckham’s dangerous health signs.

Image credits: DrRawanJ2

Doctor examining dangerous sign on Beckham's body raising concerns about Beckham's health and lifespan.

Image credits: henconcepts

Tweet by Dr. Steven Chen discussing new medical insights related to a dangerous sign on Beckham's body and lifespan concerns.

Image credits: DrStevenTChen

Tweet discussing a strange ear condition while questioning if it relates to the dangerous sign on Beckham's body.

Image credits: SScottGibbs

Tweet screenshot discussing a medical concern related to Beckham with focus on dangerous signs on his body.

Image credits: RuthElkan

Man in blue shirt and glasses replying on Twitter about a grading system, related to Beckham dangerous sign on body.

Image credits: drkeithsiau

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