Objective

To investigate the prevalence of maxillary sinusitis in people who lived in the Middle Nile Valley across different periods, cultures, and environmental conditions.

Materials

481 skeletons from 13 sites, curated at the British Museum, London, were analysed. The sites ranged in date from the Neolithic to Medieval periods (c. 4900 BCE–CE 1500).

Methods

Bony changes within the maxillary sinuses, associated with sinusitis and oroantral fistulae were systematically recorded according to pre-established criteria.

Results

There were significant differences in the prevalence of maxillary sinusitis between time period/subsistence economy groups. The Neolithic hunter-gatherer/early agricultural group had the lowest prevalence, whilst the urban group demonstrated the highest frequency of the disease.

Conclusions

Factors involved in the development of maxillary sinusitis are manifold and complex. However, the results indicate that increased aridity in Sudan in later periods and intensification of agricultural practices may have played a role in increasing prevalence of the disease. Urban environments, including crowding, poor sanitation, and industrial air pollution, could also have influenced susceptibility to maxillary sinusitis.

Significance

Prior to this paper, the impact of arid environments on respiratory health in the past had received little attention despite growing clinical research on the topic. Both arid and urban environments are predicted to expand in the future. This paper provides a deep-time perspective on an issue of increasing concern today.

Limitations

Poor preservation of skeletons and a lack of archaeological settlement data for some sites.

Future research

Investigation of a greater range of populations from different environments/climates.

中文翻译：

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多管闲事：评估环境和社会文化变化对尼罗河中游（新石器时代至中世纪）上颌窦炎的影响

客观的

调查不同时期、文化和环境条件下生活在尼罗河中游的人们上颌窦炎的患病率。

材料

对来自伦敦大英博物馆的 13 个地点的 481 具骨骼进行了分析。这些遗址的年代从新石器时代到中世纪（公元前 4900 年至公元 1500 年）。

方法

根据预先建立的标准系统地记录与鼻窦炎和口腔窦瘘相关的上颌窦内的骨变化。

结果

不同时期/自给经济群体的上颌窦炎患病率存在​​显着差异。新石器时代狩猎采集者/早期农业群体的患病率最低，而城市群体的发病率最高。

结论

涉及上颌窦炎发展的因素是多方面的和复杂的。然而，结果表明，苏丹后期干旱加剧和农业实践的加强可能在增加该病的流行方面发挥了作用。城市环境，包括拥挤、卫生条件差和工业空气污染，也可能影响上颌窦炎的易感性。

意义

在撰写本文之前，尽管有关该主题的临床研究不断增加，但过去干旱环境对呼吸系统健康的影响很少受到关注。预计未来干旱和城市环境都会扩大。本文就当今日益受到关注的问题提供了深入的视角。

限制

骨骼保存不佳，某些遗址缺乏考古聚落数据。

未来研究

调查来自不同环境/气候的更大范围的人群。