Atherosclerotic calcifications: from soil and dirt to diagnosing cardiovascular diseases

Markers of disease on skeletal remains are valuable tools in both forensic anthropology and archaeology. However, while pathologies that leave signs directly on bones are rather easy to detect, others do not. Some pathologies create calcifications/concretions and although they are products of the disease, they may be interpreted as nonrelevant in the anthropological analysis because they can be more insidious (especially when not in situ) and are less well known. In addition, they may be challenging to recognize, especially if fragmented or degraded, mixed with soil, roots, dirt and bone fragments and can thus be macroscopically mistaken for other elements. Atherosclerosis is an example of such pathologies. This presentation will discuss the etiology and pathogenesis of the condition, show what these calcifications look like, and how to recognize and identify them.