Ancient Illness Found in Egyptian Child Mummies

A new study analyzing child mummies in European museums has found that anemia was common in ancient Egyptian children, likely caused by factors such as malnutrition, parasitic infections, and genetic disorders. CT scans were used to peer non-invasively through the mummies' dressings and discovered that one-third of them had signs of anemia, and evidence of thalassemia in one case. The researchers suggest that anemia was likely common in ancient Egypt, and it was probably caused by factors such as malnutrition, parasitic infections, and genetic disorders, which still cause the health problem today.