THE GUARDIAN: X-rays of mummies reveal atherosclerosis, suggesting there may be more to heart disease than bad diet and smoking
Heart disease plagued human society long before fry-ups and cigarettes came along, researchers say. The upper classes of ancient Egypt were riddled with cardiovascular disease that dramatically raised their risk of heart attacks and strokes.
Doctors made the discovery after taking hospital X-ray scans of 20 Egyptian mummies that date back more than 3,500 years.
The scans revealed signs of atherosclerosis, a life-threatening condition where fat and calcium build up in the arteries, clogging them and stiffening their walls.
On a visit to the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities in Cairo, one of the researchers had been intrigued by a nameplate on the remains of Pharaoh Merenptah, who died in 1,203BC. The plate said the pharaoh died at the age of 60 and suffered diseased arteries, arthritis and tooth decay.
The US and Egyptian experts got permission to examine the mummified pharaoh and others that were on display or stored in the museum's basement.
Despite their extraordinary age, 16 mummies had identifiable hearts and arteries. Of these, nine showed evidence of atherosclerosis. Hard calcified deposits were seen either in the walls of arteries or along the path an artery would have taken. In some individuals, up to six different arteries were affected.
The most ancient mummy afflicted with heart disease was the maid of Queen Ahmose Nefertiti, Lady Rai, who lived around 200 years before the time of King Tutenkhamun. She is thought to have been between 30 and 40 years old when she died in 1,530BC. >>> Ian Sample, science correspondent | Tuesday, November 17, 2009
SUEDDEUTSCHE: Schon ein geringer Mangel an Vitamin D führt einer US-Studie zufolge bei über 50-Jährigen zu einem erhöhten Risiko für Herzkrankheiten.
Ältere Menschen mit einem Mangel an Vitamin D haben einer Studie zufolge ein deutlich höheres Herzinfarkt-Risiko. Außerdem laufen sie Gefahr, häufiger Schlaganfälle zu erleiden und früher zu sterben, wie aus einer Untersuchung von US-Wissenschaftlern hervorgeht.
Mehr als ein Jahr lang sammelten die Forscher vom Intermountain Medical Center (IMC) in Salt Lake City im US-Bundesstaat Utah Daten von 27.686 Patienten ab 50 Jahren ohne vorherige Herzerkrankungen. Die Sterbewahrscheinlichkeit lag bei Probanden, die wenig Vitamin D im Blut aufwiesen, demnach um 77 Prozent höher als bei Menschen mit normalen Werten. Vitamin-D-Mangel erhöht den Angaben zufolge das Risiko von Herz-Kreislauf-Erkrankungen um 45 Prozent, die Gefahr eines Schlaganfalls sogar um 78 Prozent. >>> AFP/beu | Dienstag, 17. November 2009
