How is Atherosclerosis caused?
• The development of atherosclerosis is complicated, but the primary event is repeated, subtle injury to the artery‘s wall through various mechanisms. These mechanisms commonly include physical stresses from turbulent blood flow (people who have high blood pressure) chemical abnormalities in the bloodstream (high cholesterol, diabetes) and inflammatory stresses involving the immune system (certain infections due to bacteria, viruses etc), tobacco smoke. • Atherosclerosis begins with the injured arterial wall producing chemical signals that cause certain types of white blood cells that attach to the wall of the artery. These cells then are transformed into foam cells, which collect cholesterol and other fatty materials, and trigger growth of smooth muscle cells in the artery wall. • ·If untreated, these fat-laden foam cells continue to accumulate. Thus, patchy deposits (atheromas, also called plaques) covered with a fibrous cap in the lining of the artery wall are formed. With time, cal
