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Loeys-Dietz syndrome: A possible solution for Akhenaten’s and his family’s mystery syndrome
Ahad Eshraghian, Bart Loeys
Abstract
The presence of a familial disease among royal members of 18th dynasty of the new kingdom who ruled in Egypt from the mid-16th to the early 11th centuries BC has been established, largely prompted by the bizarre body shape of Akhenaten (the iconoclastic pharaoh of this dynasty) and his family, as demonstrated in statues and artwork. It had been thought previously that this was an expression of a revolutionised artistic style that followed radical reforms by Akhenaten of Egyptian society, but recent studies on mummies confirmed the presence of a constellation of corresponding pathologies. Several illnesses have been suggested to solve this enigma; we propose Loeys-Dietz syndrome as a probable diagnosis for this genetic affliction within the royal family.
Authors' affiliations
Ahad Eshraghian, Department of Internal Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Science, Shiraz, Iran
Bart Loeys, Center for Medical Genetics, Antwerp University Hospital, Antwerp, Belgium
Keywords
Ancient Egypt, Loeys-Dietz Syndrome
Cite this article
South African Medical Journal 2012;102(8):661-664.
Article History
Date submitted: 2012-04-10
Date published: 2012-06-14
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