Figure 1.

Atherosclerosis: Disease progression and risk factors

Atherosclerosis begins with damage to the endothelium lining the arterial intima, initiated by risk factors. This leads to disease progression, lipid retention to the subendothelial space, infiltration of inflammatory cells, and plaque formation. Plaques can form over many decades without manifesting any symptoms but can lead to chronic ischemic heart disease or acute events such as plaque rupture, myocardial infarctions, and strokes. Made with Biorender.com.