A disease process in which fatty deposits (plaques) build up in the inner walls of arteries, causing them to narrow and harden. This reduces blood flow and can lead to heart attacks, strokes, and other cardiovascular complications.
From Greek 'athero' meaning 'gruel' or 'paste' (referring to the soft, fatty core of plaques) and 'sclerosis' meaning 'hardening.' The term describes both the soft fatty deposits and the hardening of arterial walls.
Atherosclerosis is like rust forming inside your body's pipes, except the 'rust' is made of cholesterol, inflammatory cells, and calcium! What's fascinating is that this process can begin in childhood with fatty streaks, taking decades to develop into the plaques that cause heart attacks - it's truly a disease of lifestyle and time.
Heart disease was historically coded as male (the 'businessman's disease') while women's cardiac symptoms were misdiagnosed as psychiatric. This led to underdiagnosis and delayed treatment in women.
Use neutral medical terminology; ensure diagnostic criteria apply equally. Recognize that women present differently and are less likely to receive timely intervention.
Women cardiologists' advocacy from the 1990s onward revealed gender gaps in symptom recognition and treatment urgency; this shifted clinical practice toward inclusive screening.
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