atherosclerosis

American  

[ath-uh-roh-skluh-roh-sis, ath-] / ˌæθ ə roʊ skləˈroʊ sɪs, ˌæð- /

noun

Pathology.

1. a common form of arteriosclerosis in which fatty substances form a deposit of plaque on the inner lining of arterial walls.

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atherosclerosis British  

/ ˌæθərəʊsklɪəˈrəʊsɪs /

noun

1. a degenerative disease of the arteries characterized by patchy thickening of the inner lining of the arterial walls, caused by deposits of fatty material; a form of arteriosclerosis See atheroma

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atherosclerosis Scientific  

/ ăth′ə-rō-sklə-rō′sĭs /

1. A form of arteriosclerosis characterized by the deposition of plaques containing cholesterol and lipids on the innermost layer of the walls of large- and medium-sized arteries. Individuals with atherosclerosis have a higher risk of coronary artery disease and stroke. Smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, and elevated levels of fat in the blood contribute to the development of atherosclerosis.

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atherosclerosis Cultural  

1. A form of arteriosclerosis in which the arteries become clogged by the buildup of fatty substances, which eventually reduces the flow of blood to the tissues. These fatty substances, called plaque, are made up largely of cholesterol. (Compare arteriosclerosis; see circulatory system.)

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Other Word Forms

• atherosclerotic
  adjective
• atherosclerotically
  adverb

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Etymology

Origin of atherosclerosis

1905–10; < German Atherosklerose; see athero-, sclerosis

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Compare meaning

How does atherosclerosis compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• atherosclerosis vs. arteriosclerosis

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

atherosclerosis

"We hope that people who are in fields like atherosclerosis research read this, and want to grab the idea for themselves," Sam de Leve said.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 3, 2026

That work found that atherosclerosis was already present in many middle aged adults and was associated with lifestyle patterns.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 1, 2026

However, cardiovascular disease kills nearly 20 million people around the world each year, with atherosclerosis responsible for most of those deaths.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 1, 2026

Current methods, including risk scores such as SCORE2, identified only a small proportion of people who already had silent atherosclerosis.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 1, 2026

With 30 million Americans in this category, it has become one of the nation's chief health problems, and it is the predisposing factor in many other diseases such as heart trouble, diabetes, hypertension and atherosclerosis.

From A Practical Guide to Self-Hypnosis by Melvin Powers

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