Monday, July 16, 2018

Ötzi the Iceman Was a Heart Attack Waiting to Happen

Ötzi the iceman

Some time ago I wrote a post about Ötzi the iceman. The website, Live Science (30th May 2018) recently featured an article updating readers on the iceman’s health based on recent analysis of Ötzi’s mummified body.
Ötzi was murdered about 5,300 years ago high in the Italian Alps. His mummified body was discovered by hikers in 1991 and he is now housed at the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in Bolzano, Italy. He was shot with an arrow, struck on the head, and left to die near a mountain pass high in the Alps.

Ötzi's health
Further analysis of Ötzi’s body reveal that he didn’t ‘enjoy’ good health and had an unhealthy diet. A full-body computed tomography (CT) scan showed that he had three calcifications (hardened plaques) in his heart region, putting him at increased risk for a heart attack. A modern heart doctor would have encouraged him to stop eating fatty meat and to take medication to lower his blood pressure and cholesterol.
He also had calcifications around his carotid artery, which carries blood to the head and neck, and in the arteries at the base of his skull, which carry blood to the brain. These conditions increased the iceman’s risk of a stroke. In an earlier study, researchers found that Ötzi's last meal included the fatty meat of a wild goat, as well as wild deer and grains. Today, Ötzi may have undergone surgery to help prevent a stroke including, perhaps, coronary bypass surgery, to divert blood flow around the blocked artery.
Statue of Ötzi the iceman
The iceman is one of the most studied mummies in the world. Researchers know that he had bad teeth and knees; lactose intolerance; a probable case of Lyme disease; stomach bacteria that causes ulcers; and 61 tattoos inked on his body. The latest findings suggest that if Ötzi hadn't been killed by a blow to the head and an arrow that pierced his shoulder when he was about 46 years old, he might have suffered health problems from these conditions later in life.

Genetic Factors
An earlier study found that Ötzi had a genetic predisposition for atherosclerosis, a narrowing of the arteries from fatty deposits. CT scans done at the time showed signs of disease in some of his arteries. Ötzi wasn't overweight, didn't smoke tobacco, regularly exercised and was unlikely to have had a high-fat diet. Researchers believe that genetic factors, rather than his daily routine, may explain his health condition.
In the new study, the researchers examined a newer CT scan of Ötzi that was done in 2013 using a larger CT scanner. This enabled them to image Ötzi's entire body, including his abdomen and chest, allowing them to pinpoint the hardened plaques.
Timeline of Ötzi's last hours
Ötzi wasn't far from home when he died. Scientists concluded that he didn't live in the Alps as such but spent most of his life in Isack Valley or the lower Puster Valley, in the northernmost part of what is now Italy. He probably spent the last 10 years of his life in an area south and west of his previous home, not far from where he died.

Conclusion
The iceman was murdered high up in the Italian Alps some 5,300 years ago, making his death the oldest unsolved ‘cold case’ crime. Although Ötzi died in his mid-forties, he may not have lived to a ‘ripe old age’. Genetic factors rather than lifestyle may have increased his risk of a heart attack and stroke.
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