Remains of 3,500-year-old Egyptian woman reveal she suffered from ‘rare’ disease

The skeletal remains of an ancient Egyptian woman reveal she likely suffered from rheumatoid arthritis, a disease that — though common today — is rarely seen in the archaeological record.

The finding indicates the autoimmune disease may have been affecting humans for millennia, according to a study published on Jan. 3 in the International Journal of Paleopathology.

In 2018, archaeologists uncovered the woman’s tomb at a cemetery in Aswan, an ancient city perched upon the banks of the Nile River.

Though the cemetery had been damaged and looted over the years, the woman’s skeleton remained largely intact. The remains were unearthed from the soil alongside a leather garment, ostrich egg beads and pottery fragments.

Based on the size of the bones, archaeologists determined the individual was a woman between 25 and 30 years old at the time of death. The remains were dated to between 1750 and 1550 B.C., making them at least 3,500 years old.

The scattered bones, particularly those in the hands and feet, were distinguished by over a dozen lesions ranging in size from miniscule pinholes to large destructive craters, researchers said.

The presence of these lesions led archaeologists to consider a number of potential causes, including gout, ankylosing spondylitis and osteoarthritis.

These ailments were all ruled out in favor of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a chronic inflammatory disease that causes painful joint swelling.

“Based on their bony presentation, this individual’s joints may have felt achy, stiff, and tender and would have been prone to swelling, all of which may have had an impact on hand function and ability to carry out daily activities,” researchers said.

These symptoms would have decreased the woman’s quality of life and could have put her at risk of more chronic illnesses, including heart disease — outcomes that can still affect today’s RA patients.

The finding is significant because little archaeological evidence of rheumatoid arthritis has been found.

“Archaeological cases of (rheumatoid arthritis) are rare,” researchers said. “At least 1,000 complete skeletons need to be examined to find one clear case of (rheumatoid arthritis).”

In fact, the woman’s remains are one of the only examples of RA found in Egypt that predate the 15th century. They suggest that “while the condition was only clinically defined in the 17th century, it may be ancient in its origins.”

The first written description of RA appeared in 1800 and is attributed to a French physician, according to a 2012 study in the journal Hand Clinics. However, several burial sites have been found containing evidence of the disease in ancient populations.

Today, about 1 to 2% of the global population lives with RA, according to the Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center. Women, though, are two to three times more likely than men to have the disease.

This story was originally published January 8, 2024 at 5:53 PM with the headline "Remains of 3,500-year-old Egyptian woman reveal she suffered from ‘rare’ disease."