Atherosclerosis and Heart Disease

+ Flipbook textSlide 2 What is atherosclerosis? Atherosclerosis happens when plaque (a sticky substance made mostly of fat and cholesterol) slowly builds up in your arteries. Arteries are blood vessels that carry blood through your body.  Plaque buildup causes the arteries to get thicker and harder. This leaves less room for blood to flow through.  Slide 3 Symptoms of atherosclerosis  You may not notice any symptoms with atherosclerosis.  Many people don’t know they have atherosclerosis until an artery becomes very narrow or blocked completely.  This sets the stage for possible health problems