SUNDAY, April 3 (HealthDay News) -- The earliest known case of
coronary artery disease has been found in the 3,550-year-old mummy
of an Egyptian princess. She lived between 1580 and 1550 B.C., and
died in her early 40s, say researchers.
Their investigation with whole-body CT scans found that this
wasn't a unique case. About 45 percent of 43 other mummies also had
evidence of atherosclerosis, an accumulation of plaque in
arteries.
The findings suggest that atherosclerosis has afflicted humans
for a long time and isn't just a modern disease. The study was
scheduled for presentation Sunday at the annual scientific session
of the American College of Cardiology (ACC), held in New
Orleans.
"Commonly, we think of coronary artery or heart disease as a consequence of modern lifestyles, mainly because it has increased in developing countries as they become more westernized," co-principal investigator Dr. Gregory S. Thomas, a clinical professor and director of Nuclear Cardiology Education, University of California, Irvine, said in an ACC news release.
"These data point to a missing link in our understanding of heart disease, and we may not be so different from our ancient ancestors," he suggested.
Genetic factors associated with atherosclerosis may play a more
important role in the disease than previously thought, said Thomas
and his colleagues.
Most of the atherosclerosis in the mummies was located in large
arteries, including the aorta in the abdomen. But atherosclerosis
was also found in important small arteries. About 7 percent of the
mummies had obstructions in heart arteries, which can cause a heart
attack, and 14 percent had blockages in arteries to the brain,
which can cause a stroke.
The researchers noted that studying the mummies didn't allow
them to determine the exact cause of death, but they pointed out
that ancient Egyptian scrolls describe symptoms consistent with
cardiac chest pain.
The study is published online and in the April print issue of
the
Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Cardiovascular
Imaging.
More information
The U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute has more
about
atherosclerosis.