Abstract: Atherosclerosis is the condition in which an artery
wall thickens as the result of a build-up of fatty materials such as
cholesterol. It is a syndrome affecting arterial blood vessels, a
chronic inflammatory response in the walls of arteries, in large part
due to the accumulation of macrophage white blood cells and
promoted by low density (especially small particle) lipoproteins
(plasma proteins that carry cholesterol and triglycerides) without
adequate removal of fats and cholesterol from the macrophages by
functional high density lipoproteins (HDL). It is commonly referred
to as a hardening or furring of the arteries. It is caused by the
formation of multiple plaques within the arteries.