Our evolving understanding of the problem with plaque
More than two decades ago, cardiologists began to realize that the classic view of heart disease as a simple plumbing problem was incomplete. The underlying mechanism is atherosclerosis — the accumulation of fatty plaque inside artery walls. But plaque doesn't just gradually build up and eventually close off an artery, causing a heart attack. Instead, most heart attacks happen when smaller, inflamed plaques rupture suddenly, triggering a blood clot that blocks blood flow (see "From healthy artery to heart attack").
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