King Edward VI’s Death Linked to Measles, TB
From Times Wire Reports
A bout of measles apparently activated a smoldering case of tuberculosis and led to the death in 1553 of King Edward VI, son of Henry VIII, at the age of 15, today’s New England Journal of Medicine reported from Boston.
Based on current knowledge of the two diseases, along with 16th century writings, Drs. Grace and Frederick Holmes of the University of Kansas Medical Center concluded that Edward’s bout with measles in April 1552, which was quickly followed by a smallpox infection, set the stage for the aggressive emergence of his tuberculosis.
