The history of anemia and related nutritional deficiencies in Europe: evidence from cribra orbitalia and porotic hyperostosis (original) (raw)
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Porotic hyperostosis, characterized by small and localized perforations on the surface of cranial bones, is considered a good indicator for assessing the health and nutritional status of past human populations. The most widely accepted theory at present indicates that anemias, either acquired or of genetic origin, are responsible for the bony lesions described as porotic hyperostosis. In this paper, the prevalence of these lesions in two skeletal samples from Latium (central Italy) was used to evaluate health and life conditions in Italy after the collapse of the Roman Empire. One sample belongs to the Roman Imperial Age (1st±3rd centuries A.D.) rural town of Lucus Feroniae; the other comes from the 7th century A.D. Lombard necropolis of Selvicciola. The prevalence of cribra orbitalia and cribra cranii was quite similar in the two samples but slightly more frequent in the Medieval community. Differential diagnosis suggested iron deficiency anemia in early childhood as the causative agent of the hyperostotic lesions in both samples. These results may be interpreted in light of previous examinations of same samples and according to their respective historical and socio-economical characteristics. Am.
American Journal of Human Biology, 2001
Porotic hyperostosis, characterized by small and localized perforations on the surface of cranial bones, is considered a good indicator for assessing the health and nutritional status of past human populations. The most widely accepted theory at present indicates that anemias, either acquired or of genetic origin, are responsible for the bony lesions described as porotic hyperostosis. In this paper, the prevalence of these lesions in two skeletal samples from Latium (central Italy) was used to evaluate health and life conditions in Italy after the collapse of the Roman Empire. One sample belongs to the Roman Imperial Age (1st–3rd centuries A.D.) rural town of Lucus Feroniae; the other comes from the 7th century A.D. Lombard necropolis of Selvicciola. The prevalence of cribra orbitalia and cribra cranii was quite similar in the two samples but slightly more frequent in the Medieval community. Differential diagnosis suggested iron deficiency anemia in early childhood as the causative agent of the hyperostotic lesions in both samples. These results may be interpreted in light of previous examinations of same samples and according to their respective historical and socio-economical characteristics. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 13:709–717, 2001. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, 2019
Intra vitam porous lesions of the skull (Cribra Orbitalia and Porotic Hyperostosis) are pathological conditions due to 28 genetic or acquired chronic anemia. They are the most reported skeletal lesions in human skeletal remains and are routinely used to assess health, hygiene and nutritional status of past populations. Despite the existence of a number of 30 proposed classifications, there is no generally accepted classification system used by all, with clear advantages over the 31 others. 32 Here, we propose a new evaluation form (BoPLE-Bone Porous Lesion Evaluation) that takes in consideration all the 33 observable features of bone porous lesions, integrating existing qualitative criteria for the evaluation of severity and 34 healing's conditions with a new quantitative analysis based on the count of pores/cm2. Porotic Hyperostosis and Cribra 35 Orbitalia were investigated using the newly developed evaluation forms on 189 cranial bones from several distinct 36 archaeological sites. Reliability and reproducibility of both existing qualitative scoring criteria and the new quantitative 37 method were statistically tested. 38 We believe that the new proposed classification system, which takes into consideration diverse parameters like surface 39 area of lesion, location of lesion on cranial vault, and number of pits per surface area, represents a progress in the objective 40 evaluation of porous bone lesions Its use will allow the determination of the severity of the lesion, thus provide data to 41 assess conditions of frailty in past populations.
Frequency of cribra orbitalia in the subadult medieval population from Gruczno, Poland
International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 2002
The purpose of this work is to present data on the frequency of cribra orbitalia in the skulls of children from a Polish medieval population cemetery in Gruczno and to compare the results with the frequency of this phenomenon in adult populations. The frequency of cribra orbitalia was investigated in 92 skulls belonging to individuals who died between the ages of 0 to 15 years. The Hengen scale (1971) and the Nathan & Haas scale (1966) as modified by were used. The frequency of cribra orbitalia in children whose age at death was between 0 and 7 years was 47.1%, and in children who died between 7 to 15 years was 50.0%.
Analysis of cribra orbitalia in the earliest inhabitants of medieval Vilnius
Anthropological Review, 2000
The purpose of this work is to present an analysis of cribra orbitalia (CO) from the population of a medieval cemetery in Vilnius, Lithuania, dated between the end of the 13th to the beginning of the 15th centuries. The sample consisted of 208 individuals with sufficiently preserved orbits: 82 subadults and 122 adults. CO was correlated with sex, age-at-death, and three skeletal indicators of biological health: linear enamel hypoplasia, periostitis, and adult femur length as a proxy value for stature. Siler's and Gompertz-Makeham's parametric models of mortality as well as χ2 statistics were used to evaluate these relationships. Almost one-third of all analyzed individuals had signs of CO, including approximately 60% of the subadults. There was a very strong relationship between the age-at-death and incidence of CO, i.e., individuals with the lesion were dying much younger. The frequency of CO among the sexes was not statistically significant. On the other hand, CO had a negative effect only on adult males, i.e., males who had the lesion died at a younger age. Furthermore, CO and linear enamel hypoplasia were positively related for subadults, whereas no significant relationships were found among adults of corresponding sex. Incidence of periostitis and adult stature were not related to CO.
New evidence suggesting a dissociated etiology for cribra orbitalia and porotic hyperostosis
American journal of physical anthropology, 2017
Porotic hyperostosis (PH), characterized by porotic lesions on the cranial vault, and cribra orbitalia (CO), a localized appearance of porotic lesions on the roof of the orbits, are relatively common osteological conditions. Their etiology has been the focus of several studies, and an association with anemia has long been suggested. Anemia often causes bone marrow hypertrophy or hyperplasia, leading to the expansion in trabecular or cranial diploic bone as a result of increased hematopoiesis. Hypertrophy and/or hyperplasia is often coupled with a disruption of the remodeling process of outer cortical bone, cranially and/or postcranially, leading to the externally visible porotic lesions reported in osteological remains. In this article, we investigate whether individuals with CO have increased thickness of the diploë, the common morphological direct effect of increased hematopoiesis, and thus test the relationship between the two conditions, as well as explore the type of anemia tha...
American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 2004
Cribra orbitalia is a porotic or sieve-like lesion in the bony orbital roof. Its cause has been the object of research and discussion since the end of the 19th century. Since about 1960, most scientists have started to agree on the hypothesis that the lesion is a result of hypertrophy of the red bone marrow, and therefore is proof of anemia. However, recent investigations showed that in some cases, the histologic bone structure does not support the diagnosis of anemia. The status of cribra orbitalia as an indicator then becomes uncertain. We carried out a histologic examination of thin-ground sections in polarized light to clarify the possible sources of orbital roof lesions in a Nubian population from Missiminia, northern Sudan (n ϭ 333). In at least 56.5% of cribra orbitalia cases, there were no histologic features indicating changes due to anemia. Signs of other pathological conditions, such as inflammation or osteoporosis, as well as pseudopathological cases, were found. Am J Phys Anthropol 123:333-339, 2004.
Variation in the frequency and severity of porotic hyperostosis [porous defects], seen in the skulls of individuals buried at two First Dynasty cemeteries at Abydos, suggested differences in health and social conditions. Those buried near the kings had suffered from childhood deficiencies, while those associated with funerary enclosures in a second cemetery further to the north seemed to have benefited from occupational or social advantages. The author speculates on the possible factors which gave rise to this difference.