title: Computed tomographic evidence of atherosclerosis in the mummified remains of humans from around the world.
abstract: Although atherosclerosis is widely thought to be a disease of modernity, computed tomographic evidence of atherosclerosis has been found in the bodies of a large number of mummies. This article reviews the findings of atherosclerotic calcifications in the remains of ancient people-humans who lived across a very wide span of human history and over most of the inhabited globe. These people had a wide range of diets and lifestyles and traditional modern risk factors do not thoroughly explain the presence and easy detectability of this disease. Nontraditional risk factors such as the inhalation of cooking fire smoke and chronic infection or inflammation might have been important atherogenic factors in ancient times. Study of the genetic and environmental risk factors for atherosclerosis in ancient people may offer insights into this common modern disease.
authors: Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute, University of Missouri Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, USA; University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine, Kansas City, MO, USA. Electronic address: rthompson@saint-lukes.org.
authors: Randall C
authors: RC
authors: Thompson
authors: Al Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.
authors: Adel H
authors: AH
authors: Allam
authors: Institute for Mummies and the Iceman, European Academy of Bolzano/Bozen (EURAC), Bolzano/Bozen, Italy.
authors: Albert
authors: A
authors: Zink
authors: Cardiovascular Physicians, Columbia St. Mary's Healthcare, Milwaukee, WI, USA.
authors: L Samuel
authors: LS
authors: Wann
authors: Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru.
authors: Guido P
authors: GP
authors: Lombardi
authors: Department of Archeology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
authors: Samantha L
authors: SL
authors: Cox
authors: National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA.
authors: Bruno
authors: B
authors: Frohlich
authors: Newport Diagnostic Center, Newport Beach, CA, USA.
authors: M Linda
authors: ML
authors: Sutherland
authors: Saddleback Memorial Medical Center, Laguna Hills, CA, USA.
authors: James D
authors: JD
authors: Sutherland
authors: National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA.
authors: Thomas C
authors: TC
authors: Frohlich
authors: Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute, University of Missouri Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, USA.
authors: Samantha I
authors: SI
authors: King
authors: Mission Heritage Medical Group, St. Joseph Heritage Health, Mission Viejo, CA, USA.
authors: Michael I
authors: MI
authors: Miyamoto
authors: National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA.
authors: Janet M
authors: JM
authors: Monge
authors: Museo de Sitio Puruchuco-Arturo Jimenez, Lima, Peru.
authors: Clide M
authors: CM
authors: Valladolid
authors: Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt; University for Science and Technology, 6th of October City, Egypt.
authors: Abd
authors: A
authors: El-Halim Nur El-Din
authors: Zena and Michael A. Wiener Cardiovascular Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
authors: Jagat
authors: J
authors: Narula
authors: Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute, University of Missouri Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, USA.
authors: Adam M
authors: AM
authors: Thompson
authors: Biological Sciences and Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors: Caleb E
authors: CE
authors: Finch
authors: MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute, Long Beach Memorial, Long Beach, CA, USA; University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA.
authors: Gregory S
authors: GS
authors: Thomas
mesh_terms: D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D001317:Austria; D004534:Egypt; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D009106:Mummies / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D009656:North America; D010568:Peru; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed