RESEARCH - The Braids Lady of Arezzo: a case of RA in a 16th century mummy

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Clin Exp Rheumatol. 2002 Nov-Dec;20(6):745-52. Links

The " Braids Lady " of Arezzo: a case of rheumatoid arthritis in a 16th

century mummy.

Department of Oncology, Division of Pathology, Section of Paleopathology,

University of Pisa, via Roma no. 57, 56126 Pisa, Italy.

r.ciranni@...

OBJECTIVE: To diagnose a probable case of rheumatoid arthritis in a

mummified female body from the 16th century and to backdate the first

clinical diagnosis, entering the diatribe regarding the ancientness of the

disease. METHODS: Image techniques such as normal X-ray, X-ray by

mammography, total body CT and high resolution CT were used. Microscopic

examination by stereomicroscopy was performed. Samples of tissue were

submitted to histology. These data and the review of past literary

references, of artistic representations and of paleopathological cases

provided an interesting contribution to reconstruct the history of the

disease. RESULTS: The body of the " Braids Lady " showed all the " stigmata " of

the disease. The left hand revealed large erosions of the

metacarpophalangeal joints of both the third and the fourth fingers, volar

metacarpophalangeal subluxation of both the third and the fourth fingers and

lateral deviation of all the fingers. The carpus showed some minute and

marginal erosions of the bones. The bases of the first phalanges were

slightly flared. The toes showed partially overlapped fibular deflection. CT

evidenced subluxations of the joints. The body showed no involvement of

sacroiliac articulation.

CONCLUSIONS: The " Braids Lady " was affected by rheumatoid arthritis. A large

number of features typical of the disease were recorded. Differential

diagnosis supported the findings. The death of the lady was established at

the end of 16th century, namely 200 years before the first clinical

diagnosis worked out by Landre Beauvais in the early 1800s.

PMID: 12508764

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed & cmd=Retrieve & dopt=Abstra\

ctPlus & list_uids=12508764

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