The Influence of Sedentism and Aggregation on Porotic Hyperostosis and Anaemia: A Case Study

Abstract

Porotic hyperostosis and iron deficiency anaemia are often thought to be the direct result of a low iron diet, and by implication, a diet low in meat. A case study using the prehistoric Anasazi from the North American Southwest, however, shows diet to be virtually inconsequential in the rise in frequency of porotic hyperostosis and chronic iron deficiency anaemia. Instead, it is shown that the effects of sedentism and aggregation result in an increase in viral, bacterial and parasitic diseases, all of which can significantly contribute to the incidence of porotic hyperostosis by causing chronic iron deficiency anaemia. The increasing frequency of this type of anaemia in the Southwest and elsewhere through time is a direct result of the rise of sedentary aggregated communities.