ABSTRACT
JENS FLENSTED LASSEN, MD, PhD AND ERLING FALK, MD, PhD
DEFINITION Atherosclerosis is a chronic and multi-focal immuno-inflammatory disease fueled by lipids1-3. It affects primarily the intima of medium-sized and large arteries, resulting in intimal thickening that may lead to luminal narrowing and inadequate blood supply. As the name implies, mature atherosclerotic plaques consist typically of two main components: one is lipid-rich and soft (athére is Greek for gruel or porridge) and the other is collagen-rich and hard (skleros is Greek for hard) (52).
