atherosclerosis

n. The most common form of arteriosclerosis, which involves fat deposits along the inner walls of veins and arteries which lead to stiffening of the blood vessels and partial blocking of blood flow in them. This condition is dangerous as it makes the blood vessel more likely both to break and to be blocked by small blood clots or other matter in the bloodstream. Such blockages deprive some tissue of blood circulation and thus oxygen and nutrients. Such blockages occurring in the arteries leading to the heart are called heart attacks and in the brain are called strokes.