Egyptian Mummies Scanned For Heart Diseases and Were Found To Have Identifiable Arteries

Hardening of the arteries has been noticed in Egyptian mummies, some as old as 3,500 years, signifying that the factor causing heart attack and stroke are not only existing ones; they afflicted ancient people, too.

Study results that appeared in the Nov. 18 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and are being presented Nov. 17 at the Scientific Session of the American Heart Association at Orlando, Fla.

The nameplate of the Pharaoh Merenptah (c. 1213-1203 BC) in the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities indicates that, when he died at approximately age 60, he was affected with atherosclerosis, arthritis, and dental decay. Intrigued that atherosclerosis might have been prevailed among ancient Egyptians, Thomas and a team of U.S. and Egyptian cardiologists, joined by experts in Egyptology and preservation, chose 20 mummies on display and in the basement of the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities for scanning on a Siemens 6 slice CT scanner during the week of Feb. 8, 2009.

The mummies underwent whole body scanning with particular attention to the cardiovascular system. The researchers found that had identifiable arteries. The hearts left in their bodies after the mummification process had calcification either clearly seen in the wall of the artery or in the path were the artery should have been. Few mummies had calcification in up to 6 different arteries.