Atherosclerosis is a heart disease caused by fatty deposits in the walls of blood vessels, mainly the arteries. Atherosclerosis can occur in any artery, but it usually occurs in larger arteries around the area where they branch. The place where atherosclerosis is most commonly found is in the coronary arteries. This condition can occur in anyone, but it most commonly affects men, smokers, people with high cholesterol, and people who do not exercise frequently. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Atherosclerosis can be found in some people during late adolescence. It starts as small streaks of fatty deposits just under the smooth wall of the arteries. Over time, streaks of fatty deposits turn into fat accumulations, or plaque. Once the plaques become large enough to project into the artery, they break or crack. When this happens, blood begins to clot on the plaque, blocking the artery. A piece of plaque may break off in a large artery and be carried through the bloodstream to a smaller vessel. When this blockage occurs, it is called an embolism. This process, caused by fatty deposits or plaque, often completely blocks a coronary artery, causing a heart attack. There is no known reason why some people develop atherosclerosis and others do not. However, there are several risk factors associated with the development of the disease. Some risk factors can be modified to reduce the risk of developing atherosclerosis, while others cannot be modified. Age, heredity and sex are risk factors that cannot be modified to reduce the risk of developing the disease. Risk factors that can be modified include smoking, cholesterol levels, obesity and exercise. High cholesterol levels in the blood increase the risk of developing atherosclerosis. Cholesterol is a normal fat found in the body and forms part of cell membranes and different types of hormones. In the blood, cholesterol mixes with proteins to form a lipoprotein. This allows the cholesterol to dissolve. There are two types of lipoproteins, LDL (low-density lipoprotein) and HDL (high-density lipoprotein). LDL is the lipoprotein responsible for supplying cholesterol which forms plaques. LDL is often called “bad cholesterol”. HDL carries cholesterol from different sites in the body to the liver, where it is eliminated. It is often called “good cholesterol” because it removes excess cholesterol from the body. People with high LDL levels are twice as likely to die from heart disease. If steps are taken to reduce cholesterol levels, the risk decreases significantly. If a person lowers their cholesterol level by 15%, the risk of heart attack is reduced by up to 30%. Smoking is an important risk factor that can be modified. Smoking reduces the amount of HDL in the body, while increasing the amount of LDL. This increases plaque formation. Smoking also increases the heart rate and narrows the coronary arteries. This increases the amount of work the heart has to do. Smokers are twice as likely to develop atherosclerosis. For heavy smokers, the risk triples. When a smoker stops smoking, their risk of developing atherosclerosis returns to normal after about 2 years..