Ancient Egyptians suffered hardening of the arteries, CT scans show
- Image by Brooklyn Museum via Flickr
The study was conceived by Dr. Gregory Thomas, a cardiologist at UC Irvine, after he read the nameplate of Pharaoh Merenptah in the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities in Cairo. The nameplate says that, when he died at age 60 in 1203 BC, Merenptah was plagued by atherosclerosis, arthritis and dental decay. Because atherosclerosis is characterized by calcium in plaques, Thomas reasoned that some evidence of the disease might still be present even after so long.
Among the 16 mummies who had identifiable arteries or hearts, nine had calcification clearly seen in the arteries or in the path where the arteries should have been. The disease was clearly age-related. Seven of the eight who were over the age of 45 when they died had calcification, compared to only two of eight that were younger than 45. Men and women were affected equally. The most ancient of the mummies afflicted with atherosclerosis was Lady Rai, who had been a nursemaid to Queen Ahmose Nefertari. She died at the age of 30 to 40 around 1530 BC, 200 years before King Tut. Other mummies examined died as recently as AD 364.
The findings should, perhaps not have been surprising. The high-status Egyptians ate a diet high in meat from cattle, ducks and geese, all fatty. Because mechanical refrigeration was not available, salt–another constributing factor in heart disease–was widely used for preservation.
