Atherosclerosis

Pronunciation

• Canada IPA: /ˌæθɚoÊŠskləˈroÊŠsÉ™s/

Origin

From - + sclerosis

Full definition of atherosclerosis

Noun

1. (pathology) The clogging or hardening of arteries or blood vessels caused by plaques (accumulations of fatty deposits, usually cholesterol).
• 2013-06-29, A punch in the gut, Mostly, the microbiome is beneficial. It helps with digestion and enables people to extract a lot more calories from their food than would otherwise be possible. Research over the past few years, however, has implicated it in diseases from atherosclerosis to asthma to autism.

Usage notes

Atherosclerosis is easily confused with arteriosclerosis. The latter is a general term for hardening of arteries, for which atherosclerosis is one of the most common causes.

Derived terms

• atherosclerotic
• atherosclerotically

Related terms

• arteriosclerosis