The naming of atherosclerosis In the 16th century, an ancient Egyptian expert, after his father died of an illness, boldly did an autopsy study, he made a new discovery: in his father’s arterial blood vessel walls there were piles of yellow-colored stuff, like the daily drinking oatmeal porridge, he then gave these substances named porridge-like, more astonishing to him is that these things touch but as hard as bone, so then named ossification. After several weeks, people finally have a more scientific understanding of this vascular lesion, called atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis and its hazards Arteries are the pipes responsible for transporting nutrients and oxygen in blood to all tissues and organs of the body. Once this pipe is diseased, the blood will not run smoothly or will be occluded, and the corresponding tissues and organs will become ischemic or necrotic. Atherosclerosis is a disease that mainly affects large and medium-sized arteries, causing the intima to thicken, harden and narrow the lumen of the vessels. Lipids (mainly cholesterol) from the blood enter and are deposited inside and outside the subintimal layer of cells, stimulating the proliferation of arterial smooth muscle cells and activating macrophages to engulf these fats, which will further deposit lipids and stimulate the proliferation of fibrous tissue, forming a fibrous plaque with a layer of fibrous tissue on the surface and an accumulation of atheromatous material in the depth. With the further development of the lesion, atherosclerotic plaques may develop ulcers, bleeding, thrombosis, calcification, etc., causing very serious consequences. Coronary atherosclerosis can cause insufficient blood supply to the heart muscle, causing angina and even myocardial infarction; atherosclerosis of the alarm arteries can cause insufficient blood supply to the brain, dizziness, headache, and psychopathy and dementia in the later stages of brain atrophy. Cerebral artery thrombosis or stroke caused by rupture and bleeding of small aneurysm caused by atherosclerosis can cause loss of consciousness, hemiparesis, aphasia and other serious consequences. It can be seen that atherosclerosis is a kind of systemic disease that can cause disability and death.