Atherosclerosis is a disease where fatty material called plaque builds up in the inner lining of arteries (see fig, 1 and 2). Plaque build-up reduces the amount of blood and oxygen that gets to vital organs. Atherosclerosis can occur anywhere in your body.

Complications of atherosclerosis include: stroke or TIA in the brain, angina or heart attack, kidney failure, erectile dysfunction, and peripheral artery disease (see fig. 3).

Figure 1: Normal artery.

Figure 2: Fatty material (plaque) inside an artery.

Figure 3: Complications caused by atherosclerosis.