Maribel Adame, PhD

The pathogenesis of atherosclerosis has experienced a remarkable evolution in the 20th century. However, this disease has a long history: studies of Egyptian mummies have shown traces of atherosclerosis in mummies’ arteries. Nevertheless, it was not a common disease in antiquity. It started to gain importance as people survived early mortality caused by infectious diseases and, as many societies adopted unhealthy dietary habits which would induce development of atherosclerosis.

You can learn more about the history of atherosclerosis at:
The history of coronary heart disease. Berkeley, University of California Press, by J. O. Leibowitz