Egyptian mummy 'first to have diseased heart'

BBC News (Jane Dreaper)

With photos.

An Egyptian princess who lived 3,500 years ago is thought to be the first known person to have developed heart disease, say researchers.

Doctors believe the princess would have needed a heart bypass if she were living now.

Scans showed she had extensive blockages in arteries leading to her heart, brain, stomach and legs.

The researchers say her case shows heart disease pre-dates a modern lifestyle.

Cardiac researchers from the US teamed up with colleagues at Al Azhar University in Cairo to analyse the remains of 52 mummies, including those of the princess.

They performed full-body scans on mummies at the National Museum of Antiquities in Cairo.

They had found evidence of hardening of the arteries in almost half the mummies scanned, researchers told a medical conference in Amsterdam.

EurekAlert

The coronary arteries of Princess Ahmose-Meryet-Amon - as visualised by whole body computerised tomography (CT) scanning - will feature in two presentations at the International Conference of Non-Invasive Cardiovascular Imaging (ICNC) this week in Amsterdam (15-18 May). ICNC is now one of the world's major scientific event in nuclear cardiology and cardiac CT imaging.

The Egyptian princess Ahmose-Meryet-Amon, who lived in Thebes (Luxor) between 1580 and 1550 BC and who is now known to be first person in human history with diagnosed coronary artery disease, lived on a diet rich in vegetables, fruit and a limited amount of meat from domesticated (but not fattened) animals. Wheat and barley were grown along the banks of the Nile, making bread and beer the dietary staples of this period of ancient Egypt. Tobacco and trans-fats were unknown, and lifestyle was likely to have been active.

The coronary arteries of Princess Ahmose-Meryet-Amon - as visualised by whole body computerised tomography (CT) scanning - will feature in two presentations at the International Conference of Non-Invasive Cardiovascular Imaging (ICNC) currently taking place in Amsterdam (15-18 May). ICNC is now one of the world's major scientific event in nuclear cardiology and cardiac CT imaging.