Atherosclerosis, a disease with a multifactorial aetiology, is characterized by the accumulation and hardening of fatty materials in the arterial blood vessels, can cause obstruction (stenosis) of the lumen. Today, it is one of the most common diseases of the developed countries, and every year thousands of people die of the complications associated with atherosclerosis. We conducted a review of the published literature in order to identify paleopathological evidence of atherosclerosis in mummified remains that have been confirmed by histological analysis. Results. Atherosclerosis has been histologically detected in 33 mummies, described in papers ranging in date from 1852 to the present day. Egypt is the country with the highest number of cases (22 out of 33) and at least one individual with atherosclerosis has been described on almost all continents: 4 from North America, 3 from South America, 2from Europe and 2 from Asia. The time range of the mummies is very wide, a period of about 3300 years. Of the bodies for which we have dating, the oldest is from around 1580 BC, while the most recent, which has a precise autobiography, is the Sienese Girolamo Macchi, who died in 1734 AD at the age of 86 years. Among the modifiable risk factors (diet, smoke, physical activity), it is likely that populations in the past generally had limited access to fatty and well-seasoned food (except for élite members and noble families), and had more physical activity, when compared to populations today, due to a higher number of manual and physical work activities. However, atherosclerotic disease has been identified in individuals from very different social contexts and with different standards of living. For this reason, it is possible to speculate on the important role of infectious diseases and chronic inflammatory conditions in the development of atherosclerosis. In past populations all over the world, infections may have been very common in everyday life and were one of the major causes of death. For the study of ancient atherosclerosis, imaging is an essential initial diagnostic tool, but, in many cases, invasive techniques such as those used in dissection, or for sampling for histological analysis, cannot be performed on mummies owing to their high historical value or museum regulations. This approach, however, only detects plaques that have already been calcified, so histological examination is required to detect the early stages of the disease. Moreover, given the postmortem changes observed in the vessel walls of a mummy, it is important to obtain histological samples in order to confirm the radiological diagnosis of an atherosclerotic plaque. Conclusions. Although it could be supposed that atherosclerosis is a disease typical only of modern life, we know that it is an inevitable condition of human ageing. In fact, arterial degeneration begins early in postnatal life and is progressive in all human populations, even if the severity of atherosclerosis can be delayed by a lifelong avoidance of lifestyle risk factors.
Atherosclerosis, Mummies and Histological Analysis: aA Review
GINO FORNACIARI
2023-01-01
Abstract
Atherosclerosis, a disease with a multifactorial aetiology, is characterized by the accumulation and hardening of fatty materials in the arterial blood vessels, can cause obstruction (stenosis) of the lumen. Today, it is one of the most common diseases of the developed countries, and every year thousands of people die of the complications associated with atherosclerosis. We conducted a review of the published literature in order to identify paleopathological evidence of atherosclerosis in mummified remains that have been confirmed by histological analysis. Results. Atherosclerosis has been histologically detected in 33 mummies, described in papers ranging in date from 1852 to the present day. Egypt is the country with the highest number of cases (22 out of 33) and at least one individual with atherosclerosis has been described on almost all continents: 4 from North America, 3 from South America, 2from Europe and 2 from Asia. The time range of the mummies is very wide, a period of about 3300 years. Of the bodies for which we have dating, the oldest is from around 1580 BC, while the most recent, which has a precise autobiography, is the Sienese Girolamo Macchi, who died in 1734 AD at the age of 86 years. Among the modifiable risk factors (diet, smoke, physical activity), it is likely that populations in the past generally had limited access to fatty and well-seasoned food (except for élite members and noble families), and had more physical activity, when compared to populations today, due to a higher number of manual and physical work activities. However, atherosclerotic disease has been identified in individuals from very different social contexts and with different standards of living. For this reason, it is possible to speculate on the important role of infectious diseases and chronic inflammatory conditions in the development of atherosclerosis. In past populations all over the world, infections may have been very common in everyday life and were one of the major causes of death. For the study of ancient atherosclerosis, imaging is an essential initial diagnostic tool, but, in many cases, invasive techniques such as those used in dissection, or for sampling for histological analysis, cannot be performed on mummies owing to their high historical value or museum regulations. This approach, however, only detects plaques that have already been calcified, so histological examination is required to detect the early stages of the disease. Moreover, given the postmortem changes observed in the vessel walls of a mummy, it is important to obtain histological samples in order to confirm the radiological diagnosis of an atherosclerotic plaque. Conclusions. Although it could be supposed that atherosclerosis is a disease typical only of modern life, we know that it is an inevitable condition of human ageing. In fact, arterial degeneration begins early in postnatal life and is progressive in all human populations, even if the severity of atherosclerosis can be delayed by a lifelong avoidance of lifestyle risk factors.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
