Why Did Ancient People Have Atherosclerosis? From Autopsies to Computed Tomography to Potential Causes

Abstract

Computed tomographic findings of atherosclerosis in the ancient cultures of Egypt, Peru, the American Southwest and the Aleutian Islands challenge our understanding of the fundamental causes of atherosclerosis. Could these findings be true? Is so, what traditional risk factors might be present in these cultures that could explain this apparent paradox? The recent computed tomographic findings are consistent with multiple autopsy studies dating as far back as 1852 that demonstrate calcific atherosclerosis in ancient Egyptians and Peruvians. A nontraditional cause of atherosclerosis that could explain this burden of atherosclerosis is the microbial and parasitic inflammatory burden likely to be present in ancient cultures inherently lacking modern hygiene and antimicrobials. Patients with chronic systemic inflammatory diseases of today, including systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, and human immunodeficiency virus infection, experience premature atherosclerosis and coronary events. Might the chronic inflammatory load of ancient times secondary to infection have resulted in atherosclerosis? Smoke inhalation from the use of open fires for daily cooking and illumination represents another potential cause. Undiscovered risk factors could also have been present, potential causes that technologically cannot currently be measured in our serum or other tissue. A synthesis of these findings suggests that a gene-environmental interplay is causal for atherosclerosis. That is, humans have an inherent genetic susceptibility to atherosclerosis, whereas the speed and severity of its development are secondary to known and potentially unknown environmental factors.

How Research on Human Progeroid and Antigeroid Syndromes Can Contribute to the Longevity Dividend Initiative

“…The first point to emphasize is that cardiovascular diseases, predominately ischemic heart disease and strokes caused by atherosclerosis, remain the major causes of death in our society (www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/leading-causes-of-death.htm). Second, the detection of high frequencies of calcified arterial lesions among the remains of humans who populated ancient civilizations is consistent with the hypothesis that it has always been an important disease of our species (Thomas et al 2014). Third, aging is quite clearly a major risk factor in the emergence of the disease (Wang and Bennett 2012).…”

Helicobacter pylori Update: Gastric Cancer, Reliable Therapy, and Possible Benefits

“…The journal Global Heart devoted a large portion of the June 2014 issue to atherosclerosis in ancient humans. Computed tomography studies found that ancient humans had extensive atherosclerosis, even though the people analyzed were from different locations, had a wide range of diets and lifestyles, and died at relatively young ages 61, 62 . The researchers proposed that chronic inflammation induced by microbial and parasitic diseases might have been responsible 61, 62 .…”

“…Computed tomography studies found that ancient humans had extensive atherosclerosis, even though the people analyzed were from different locations, had a wide range of diets and lifestyles, and died at relatively young ages 61, 62 . The researchers proposed that chronic inflammation induced by microbial and parasitic diseases might have been responsible 61, 62 . The incidence of myocardial infarctions decreased significantly in the second half of the 20th century in the US, indicating a concomitant change in an important environmental factor(s) involved in arthrosclerosis 63 .…”

Arterial stiffness, cognitive impairment and dementia: confounding factor or real risk?

“…Since lifestyle or clinical factors could not explain these effects, the authors propose that differences in genetic background or environmental aspects could influence the susceptibility to increased arterial stiffness in certain populations. In support of this hypothesis, a recent review described autopsy and computed tomography studies showing the presence of peripheral arterial calcifications and atherosclerosis in four different ancient cultures; a finding that challenges the concept that atherosclerosis is a modern disease associated with current risk factors, and that supports that humans may have an inherent genetic susceptibility to arterial degeneration which may be accelerated or precipitated by environmental factors (Thomas et al 2014). For a more comprehensive review on genetic variants predisposing to arterial stiffness, see Logan et al (2015).…”