A new study reveals that some modern illnesses and ailments, including diarrhea and itchy skin, were beneficial to our prehistoric human ancestors.

Serious maladies and diseases such as sickle cell anemia that causes blood cells to form into crescent like shapes can block oxygen flow to organs and can even become fatal. This disease, however, also provides an unexpected benefit: protection from malaria. Sickle cell anemia prevents parasites from attacking blood cells.

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Another serious disease called Crohn's disease that causes inflamed bowels and a skin rash called psoriasis are common ailments that also plagued our early human ancestors, according to this new research.

To determine this, scientists decoded the genetic code of chimpanzees and conducted a comparison between both prehistoric and modern humans. What stood out the most are the specific codes still present in all the chimps but that are no longer seen in modern humans. Scientists believe these deletions were those that cause psoriasis and sickle cell anemia.

Since both diseases are autoimmune disorders, they can be linked to the modern environment where pathogens are aplenty, according to Omer Gokcumen of the University at Buffalo. These conditions then lead to a highly active immune system that can also increase the autoimmune response.

There are many kinds of psoriasis today but the most common is called plaque psoriasis. The symptoms of this type include red skin rashes that become extremely itchy and are found on elbows, knees, the scalp the palms of the hand and soles of the feet. Fortunately, it's not contagious.

Crohn's disease is a type of common inflammatory bowel disease that affects the large and small intestines. The immune systems in persons suffering from the disease reject food and mistake it for a foreign body that it attacks.

This evolutionary process ultimately produced a balance between the human body when it comes to protection and discomfort. This only goes to show these serious diseases afflicting modern humans were actually useful and even protected human ancestors from even more dangerous ailments throughout history.

This study was published in the journal, Molecular Biology and Evolution.

TagsModern Diseases Were Actually Beneficial to our Ancient Human Ancestors, autoimmune diseases, psoriasis, crohns disease, sickle cell anemia, modern diseases ailments sickness ancient benefits prehistoric ancestors