3,500-year-old remains of ancient Egyptian suffering from rheumatoid arthritis uncovered

CAIRO, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- An Italian-Polish archeological mission discovered skeletal remains of an ancient Egyptian woman who suffered rheumatoid arthritis at a cemetery in Egypt's southern province of Aswan, the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced Wednesday.

"This is the only case that was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in ancient Egypt so far, making it one of the oldest detected cases in the world," said Mostafa Waziri, secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities.

The discovery is a major scientific addition and clear evidence that rheumatoid arthritis, a chronic inflammatory disease that causes painful joint swelling, was common in ancient Egypt, Waziri added.

Studies on the 3,500-year-old intact skeleton showed that a number of bones of hands, legs, shoulders, ankles, and elbows were eroded by the disease, according to Abdel Monem Saeed, general manager of Aswan and Nubia Antiquities Authority.

Saeed explained that no written text or signs about this disease in ancient Egypt had been found before.

The mission's major task is to understand and study the health conditions of ancient Egyptians, especially those of the middle class who lived in the far south of Egypt, the ministry said in a statement.