Atherosclerosis is a non-inflammatory lesion of the arteries that causes thickening and hardening of the arterial walls, loss of elasticity, and narrowing of the lumen. Atherosclerosis is a vascular disease that occurs with age, and its pattern is usually to occur in adolescence, to aggravate and develop in middle and old age. There are more males than females, and in recent years the disease has gradually increased in China, becoming one of the main reasons for the occurrence of macroangiopathy and the decline in quality of life in diabetic patients. Atherosclerosis is a general term for many diseases in which the walls of arteries thicken and lose elasticity, the most common and most important of which is atherosclerosis, manifested by the deposition of lipids in the inner layers of the arterial walls. It is associated with a variety of complications in patients with diabetes. Atherosclerosis can affect the walls of arteries in the brain, heart, kidneys, other vital organs and extremities. When atherosclerosis occurs in the blood supplying arteries of the brain (internal carotid arteries) it may cause stroke, while when it occurs in the blood supplying arteries of the heart (coronary arteries), myocardial infarction may occur; when it occurs in the blood vessels of the lower extremities, it is an important cause of amputation of the diabetic foot. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the causes and risk factors of atherosclerosis, and actively prevent and treat atherosclerosis: I. What are the causes of atherosclerosis? 1. The most important causes of atherosclerosis are hypertension, hyperlipidemia and smoking. Other causes such as obesity, diabetes, lack of exercise, stress, advanced age, family history, etc. can cause atherosclerosis. 2, nutritional causes (1), cholesterol A large intake of greasy food and cholesterol-rich food is the main reason for the occurrence of atherosclerosis. Too much cholesterol in the blood is one of the important risk factors for the occurrence of coronary atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. （If you like to eat fatty foods without paying attention to the intake of other minerals, you will have too much fat deposited on the walls of blood vessels, which will induce atherosclerosis and other cardiovascular lesions. Second, what are the risk factors of atherosclerosis? 1, high blood pressure, high plasma cholesterol, smoking, diabetes, obesity, lack of exercise (lack of exercise) and advanced age increase the risk of atherosclerosis. The risk of atherosclerosis increases if there are close relatives in the family who developed atherosclerosis at a young age. The risk is higher in men than in women, but the incidence in women gradually increases after menopause and eventually equals that of men. 2. Smoking. The risk of smoking for atherosclerosis is directly related to the daily amount of smoking. Smoking also increases the concentration of carbon monoxide in the blood, which increases the risk of damage to the arterial walls and constricts arteries already damaged by atherosclerosis, leading to a further reduction in blood flow to the tissues. In addition, smoking increases blood coagulation, increasing the risk of peripheral artery disease, coronary artery disease, stroke, and post-surgical graft artery blockage. Smoking cessation reduces the risk of coronary artery disease. The risk of coronary artery disease in those who have quit smoking is only half that of those who continue to smoke, regardless of the history of smoking prior to quitting. Smoking cessation also reduces mortality from coronary artery bypass grafting and myocardial infarction. Smoking cessation also reduces the risk of disease and death in patients with pre-existing atherosclerosis. 3. Patients with paroxysmal hemoglobinuria (a genetic disorder) can have severe atherosclerotic plaque formation even at a young age. This disease can involve many arteries, but less often affects the coronary arteries that supply the heart. In contrast, in patients with familial hypercholesterolemia (another genetic disorder), extremely elevated plasma cholesterol concentrations are more likely to form atherosclerotic plaques in the coronary arteries. Of course, prevention of atherosclerosis is important. When atherosclerosis is severe enough to cause complications (angina pectoris, acute myocardial infarction, arrhythmia, heart failure, kidney dysfunction, stroke and peripheral artery blockage), the complications must be treated.