Ancient Egyptian children were plagued with blood disorders, mummies reveal

The mummy of a Romano-Egyptian child from the Egyptian Ptolemaic period (304 B.C. to 30 B.C.) that is now housed at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C. (Image credit: Mary Harrsch; (CC BY-SA 2.0))

A large percentage of mummified children from ancient Egypt show signs of blood disorders known as anemias, suggesting that these youngsters may have had a slew of related medical problems, including malnutrition and growth defects, a new study finds.

Using full body CT (computed tomography) scans, a non-destructive way to study objects, an international team of researchers examined the remains of 21 child mummies who had died between the ages of 1 and 14. The team assessed the mummies for anemia by looking for telltale signs of the disorder, such as abnormal growth in the mummies' skulls and arm and leg bones.