Atherosclerosis is a heart disease caused by fatty deposits in the walls of blood vessels, mainly in the arteries. Atherosclerosis can occur in any artery, but usually occurs in the larger arteries around the area where they branch. The place where atherosclerosis is most commonly found is in the coronary arteries. This disease can occur in anyone, but is most commonly found in men, smokers, people with high cholesterol levels, and people who do not exercise frequently. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Atherosclerosis can be found in some people in their late teens. It begins as small streaks of fatty deposits just beneath the smooth lining of the arteries. Over time, the streaks of fatty deposits become accumulations of fat, or plaque. Once the plaques become large enough to project into the artery, they rupture or crack. When this happens, blood begins to clot over the plaque, blocking the artery. A piece of plaque can break off while in a large artery and be carried through the bloodstream into a smaller vessel. When this blockage occurs, it is called an embolism. This process, caused by fatty deposits or plaques, often completely blocks a coronary artery, causing a heart attack. It is not known 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 other factors 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 are smoking, cholesterol levels, obesity and exercise. High levels of cholesterol 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 several types of hormones. In the bloodstream, 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 providing the cholesterol that forms plaques. LDL is often referred to as “bad cholesterol”. HDL transports cholesterol from different sites in the body to the liver, where it is disposed of. It is often referred to as "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 measures are taken to lower cholesterol levels, the person's risk decreases dramatically. If a person lowers their cholesterol level by 15%, the risk of heart attack is reduced by up to 30%. Smoking is a significant risk factor that can be modified. Smoking reduces the amount of HDL in the body, while increasing the amount of LDL. This increases the formation of plaques. Smoking also increases the pulse and narrows the coronary arteries. This increases the amount of work the heart has to perform. Smokers are twice as likely to develop atherosclerosis. For heavy smokers the risk triples. After a smoker quits, the risk of developing atherosclerosis drops to normal after about 2 years. Hypertension also contributes to the development of atherosclerosis. High blood pressure also increases the workload of the heart..