Mystery of princess heart disease

Wednesday May 18th, 2011

The death of any ancient Egyptian princess in her 40s has raised new questions about the origins of heart disease in humans.

Princess Ahmose-Meryet-Amon died about 3,500 years ago and is the first recorded human to have died from heart disease.

Now cardiologists are studying images of her diseased arteries - and puzzling about how she might have contracted the disease.

Ancient Egyptians were supposed to have lived on bread, beer, vegetables and fruit and a limited amount of meat.

Details of a study of 52 Egyptian mummies were reported yesterday at the International Conference of Non-Invasive Cardiovascular Imaging (ICNC) in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Researchers found early signs of heart disease in about half the mummies - but atherosclerosis in the coronary arteries in just three. It was most clearly seen in CT scans of the princess, with disease in two of her three coronary arteries.

Although most ancient Egyptians would have enjoyed a "healthy diet" the Princess's lavish royal lifestyle may have been responsible for her illness.

Researcher Dr Adel Allam of Al Azhar University, Cairo, says it is also possible she had a genetic disease - or suffered ill effects from a parasitic disease.

The researchers say the findings suggest heart disease is not just a disease of modern lifestyles.

Fellow researcher Dr Gregory Thomas, of the University of California, Irvine, USA, said: "Today she would have needed by-pass surgery.

"Overall, it was striking how much atherosclerosis we found. We think of atherosclerosis as a disease of modern lifestyle, but it's clear that it also existed 3500 years ago. Our findings certainly call into question the perception of atherosclerosis as a modern disease."

Tags: Africa | Diet & Food | Europe | Heart Health | North America | Women’s Health & Gynaecology

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