Iceman Otzi had heart disease risk

Otzi the Iceman, whose body was found well preserved in ice, had calcium deposits in his heart vessels, indicating that the ancient human would have developed heart diseases if he had lived longer.

Researchers led by radiologist Patrizia Pernter from Central Hospital Bolzano-Bozen in Italy found three areas of calcification in his coronary vessels.

The extent of the deposits is comparable with that of a 40 to 50 year old light-skinned man of today, researchers said.

As Otzi's life-style was not predominantly sedentary, researchers conclude that a genetic predisposition was an important trigger for arteriosclerosis - build-up of fats, cholesterol and other substances in and on the artery walls.

Up until 2013 it had not been possible to carry out a complete computer tomographic scan of Otzi, due to the well-documented outstretched position of his arm.

Only after new CT scanners with a wider gantry opening were made available for patients was it possible to scan the Iceman in one single pass through the machine in the Central Hospital in Bozen-Bolzano.

This led to the first ever images of Otzi's entire thoracic region, which were subsequently examined by the researchers.

In their analysis of the chest area they immediately noticed three calcifications in the region of his heart.

The team of doctors then made a comparison with other regions of the body where calcification is frequently observed and this confirmed their conclusion: calcifications could also be detected for instance in the region around Otzi's carotid artery and in the arteries at the base of his skull.

The evidence of calcifications in the CT scan was quantified using a measuring system which is based on the density and volume of the calcifications. It needs to be borne in mind that these measurements give different results between ethnic groups, gender and age.

For Otzi, the comparative values for Caucasians were used, as defined by Agatston, who developed the method.

"If calcium is detected, this means that arteriosclerotic plaques are present. If one were to apply the calcifications to the heart of a living person, then the values found in Otzi would correspond to those of an approximately 45 year old man with light skin," said Pernter.

"The presence or absence of calcium deposits can be of value when calculating the cardiovascular risks for a patient," she said.

"In addition to other risk factors - blood lipids, smoking, raised blood pressure, diabetes etc - the presence of coronary calcifications can be a further indication of increased risk of having coronary heart disease or of developing it in the future," she added.

In 2012 the Iceman's genome was published and it was established then that he had a genetic predisposition to cardiovascular diseases.

Otzi is not only one of the oldest observed cases of vascular calcification, but is also "a medical example showing that a genetic predisposition is probably the most important trigger factor for arteriosclerosis and coronary heart disease," Pernter said.