Atherosclerosis

Browse A-Z

Bookmarks

Bookmark

E-mail Form

Email Results

Name:

Email address:

Recipients Name:

Recipients address:

Message:

Atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis is a disease in which fatty material is deposited on the wall of an artery. Normally, the walls of an artery are smooth, allowing blood to flow unimpeded. However, if damage occurs to its inner lining, fat, cholesterol, platelets, and other substances may accumulate at a damaged section of the arterial wall. Eventually, the tissue builds up and a plaque is formed, narrowing the lumen of the artery. Where the narrowing is severe, there is a risk that the vessel can become blocked completely if a thrombus forms in the diseased segment.

Atherosclerosis

Review Date: 2/27/2024

Reviewed By: Thomas S. Metkus, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.

The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. No warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, is made as to the accuracy, reliability, timeliness, or correctness of any translations made by a third-party service of the information provided herein into any other language. © 1997- A.D.A.M., a business unit of Ebix, Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.