What is arteriosclerosis?

What is arteriosclerosis?

• A. Hardening of the arteries due to immune response
• B. Hardening of the coronary arteries due to loss of elasticity
• C. Narrowing of arteries due to plaque buildup
• D. Dilation of arteries

Answer: (C)

Arteriosclerosis is the thickening and hardening of arterial walls, which reduces their elasticity and ability to expand with each heartbeat. The description of narrowing of arteries due to plaque buildup reflects the common and clinically important consequence of this process—plaque (atherosclerosis) collects within the arterial wall and narrows the lumen, impairing blood flow. The other ideas describe different problems: immune-mediated hardening isn’t the typical mechanism here, dilation of arteries points to an aneurysm, and arteriosclerosis isn’t defined by dilation. So the option that links plaque buildup to narrowed arteries best represents what arteriosclerosis leads to in a practical sense.

Arteriosclerosis is the thickening and hardening of arterial walls, which reduces their elasticity and ability to expand with each heartbeat. The description of narrowing of arteries due to plaque buildup reflects the common and clinically important consequence of this process—plaque (atherosclerosis) collects within the arterial wall and narrows the lumen, impairing blood flow. The other ideas describe different problems: immune-mediated hardening isn’t the typical mechanism here, dilation of arteries points to an aneurysm, and arteriosclerosis isn’t defined by dilation. So the option that links plaque buildup to narrowed arteries best represents what arteriosclerosis leads to in a practical sense.