Scientists have discovered signs of heart diseases in old Egyptian mummies and this has led doctors to reconsider what causes them.
Doctors have long assumed that hardening of the arteries; officially known as atherosclerosis was the cause of heart attacks and strokes. According to them, heart disease was a disease of modern life, caused by fatty foods, smoking and lack of exercise. However, it has been found that mummies from nearly 4,000 years ago also had clogged and hardened arteries. This has led doctors to reconsider the causes of heart diseases.
Authors of the study say they were shocked by this new discovery. The study paper was published Sunday in The Lancet and presented at a meeting of the American College of Cardiology in San Francisco.
Co-author Gregory Thomas, medical director of MemorialCare Heart and Vascular Institute in Long Beach, Calif, said that this new discovery means that artery hardening is either a component of aging or scientists and doctors are missing some very important information on what causes hardening of the arteries.
According to a report by USA Today, one third of the mummies sent for CT scans had coagulation in their arteries, suggesting hardening of the arteries. In some cases, the mummies' calcified plaques outlasted their arteries, say the authors of the study.
"There's a lot that we don't know about what causes heart disease," said Dr. Robert Gillespie, a cardiologist at Sharp HealthCare in San Diego, who was not involved in the study. "We know that eating a high-fat diet, smoking and hypertension all play a major role. But there's a lot we're missing. What's the role of inflammation, infection and all these other things?"
Gillespie said these uncertainties should encourage patients to stick with their heart-healthy diets and exercise regimens.
"If you don't control the things you can, you increase your risk even higher," he said.