Atherosclerosis in Ancient and Modern Egyptians:The Horus Study

Allam, Adel H.; Ali, Mohamed A. Mandour; Wann, L. Samüel; Thompson, Randall C.; Sutherland, M. Linda; Sutherland, James D.; Frøhlich, Bruno; Michalik, David E.; Zink, Albert; Lombardi, Guido P.; Watson, Lucia; Cox, Samantha L.; Finch, Caleb E.; Miyamoto, Michael I.; Sallam, Sallam L.; Narula, Jagat; Thomas, Gregory S.

doi:10.1016/j.gheart.2014.03.2454

Cited by 22 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 11 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Over the last few years there has been great debate about the presence and extent of arteriosclerosis in historic individuals. There is increasing evidence from various populations from all over the world and of different times that arteriosclerosis was a common feature [ 35 – 40 ]. The present case of arteriosclerosis contributes to this debate insofar as Count Heinrich suffered from significant arteriosclerosis, not very surprising given his advanced age.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chronic active non-lethal human-type tuberculosis in a high royal Bavarian officer of Napoleonic times–a mummy study

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In paleopathology, morphological and molecular evidence for infection by mycobacteria of the M. tuberculosis complex (MTC) is frequently associated with early death. In the present report, we describe a multidisciplinary study of a well-preserved mummy from Napoleonic times with a long-standing tuberculous infection by M. tuberculosis senso stricto who died at the age of 88 years of focal and non-MTB related bronchopneumonia. The well-preserved natural mummy of the Royal Bavarian General, Count Heinrich LII Reuss-Köstritz (1763–1851 CE), was extensively investigated by macro- and histomorphology, whole body CT scans and organ radiography, various molecular tissue analyses, including stable isotope analysis and molecular genetic tests. We identified signs for a long-standing, but terminally inactive pulmonary tuberculosis, tuberculous destruction of the second lumbar vertebral body, and a large tuberculous abscess in the right (retroperitoneal) psoas region (a cold abscess). This cold abscess harboured an active tuberculous infection as evidenced by histological and molecular tests. Radiological and histological analysis further revealed extensive arteriosclerosis with (non-obliterating) coronary and significant carotid arteriosclerosis, healthy bone tissue without evidence of age-related osteopenia, evidence for diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis and mild osteoarthrosis of few joints. This suggests excellent living conditions correlating well with his diet indicated by stable isotope results and literary evidence. Despite the clear evidence of a tuberculous cold abscess with bacterioscopic and molecular proof for a persisting MTC infection of a human-type M. tuberculosis strain, we can exclude the chronic MTC infection as cause of death. The detection of MTC in historic individuals should therefore be interpreted with great caution and include further data, such as their nutritional status.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chronic active non-lethal human-type tuberculosis in a high royal Bavarian officer of Napoleonic times–a mummy study

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…They discovered atheromatous plaques in more than a third of the mummies examined, confirming that atherosclerosis was a disease spread across four ancient different populations, with similar percentages to those found of modern societies. 12 Moreover, there was a clear relationship between the severity of atherosclerotic disease and aging, with evidence of multiple atherosclerotic lesions in the older age groups. Atherosclerosis was prevalent in the aorta, followed by the peripheral vessels, carotids, iliacs and coronaries, with no frequency difference between sexes.…”

Section: Historical Surveymentioning

confidence: 99%

<p>Reflections on Atherosclerosis: Lesson from the Past and Future Research Directions</p>

Minelli

Minelli²,

Montinari³

2020

JMDH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The clinical manifestations of atherosclerosis are nowadays the main cause of death in industrialized countries, but atherosclerotic disease was found in humans who lived thousands of years ago, before the spread of current risk factors. Atherosclerotic lesions were identified on a 5300-year-old mummy, as well as in Egyptian mummies and other ancient civilizations. For many decades of the twentieth century, atherosclerosis was considered a degenerative disease, mainly determined by a passive lipid storage, while the most recent theory of atherogenesis is based on endothelial dysfunction. The importance of inflammation and immunity in atherosclerosis's pathophysiology was realized around the turn of the millennium, when in 1999 the famous pathologist Russell Ross published in the New England Journal of Medicine an article entitled "Atherosclerosisan inflammatory disease". In the following decades, inflammation has been a topic of intense basic research in atherosclerosis, albeit its importance has ancient scientific roots. In fact, in 1856 Rudolph Virchow was the first proponent of this hypothesis, but evidence of the key role of inflammation in atherogenesis occurred only in 2017. It seemed interesting to retrace the key steps of atherosclerosis in a historical context: from the teachings of the physicians of the Roman Empire to the response-toinjury hypothesis, up to the key role of inflammation and immunity at various stages of disease. Finally, we briefly discussed current knowledge and future trajectories of atherosclerosis research and its therapeutic implications.

show abstract

“…The Horus study of four ancient populations showed that atherosclerosis - evidenced by arterial calcifications found on whole-body CT scan of the mummies - was common in preindustrial civilizations including preagricultural hunter-gatherers 41–43. A study compared patterns and demographic characteristics of atherosclerosis among Egyptians from ancient and modern times, showing that the extent and severity of atherosclerotic vascular disease were strongly related to aging in both modern and ancient Egyptians, regardless of gender 44. Nevertheless, the ancient elite classes were more affected by atherosclerosis than the less well-off ones, likely due to the high intake of very atherogenic foods (fatty meats, such as goose and pork; abundant consumption of sugar and honey) in their diet, as well as for a greater tendency to overweight and diabetes 45.…”

Section: Diet and Atherosclerosismentioning

confidence: 99%

<p>The Mediterranean Diet And Cardioprotection: Historical Overview And Current Research</p>

Minelli¹,

Montinari²

2019

JMDH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Ancient Greece was the cradle of the Mediterranean food tradition, characterized by the Mediterranean “eternal trinity” wheat - olive oil - wine, the very essence of the country’s traditional agricultural and dietary regime, enriched by a culture of sharing and commensality. This food model, subsequently adopted and spread by the Romans, was rediscovered at the end of the Second World War by two American researchers, Leland Allbaugh and Ancel Keys. With the famous Seven Countries Study, Keys demonstrated for the first time that populations practicing a Mediterranean diet - such as the Greeks and southern Italians - showed low mortality rates from ischemic heart disease compared to the peoples of Northern Europe and North America. Since then, numerous subsequent epidemiological studies and randomized clinical trials have confirmed the beneficial effects of the Mediterranean diet both in primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular diseases. This review will focus on the origins of the Mediterranean diet from its roots and its relationship to cardiovascular disease, with a brief overview of the nutritional mechanisms that influence atherosclerosis.

show abstract

Atherosclerosis in Ancient and Modern Egyptians:The Horus Study

Cited by 22 publications

References 11 publications

Chronic active non-lethal human-type tuberculosis in a high royal Bavarian officer of Napoleonic times–a mummy study

Chronic active non-lethal human-type tuberculosis in a high royal Bavarian officer of Napoleonic times–a mummy study

<p>Reflections on Atherosclerosis: Lesson from the Past and Future Research Directions</p>

<p>The Mediterranean Diet And Cardioprotection: Historical Overview And Current Research</p>

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About