What is "plaque"?

What is "plaque"?

The reason we talk about plaque and arteries together is that plaque, cholesterol deposits, atherosclerosis, and hardening of the arteries; those all mean the same thing. Plaque forms in arteries and can obstruct flow through the arteries, and that plaque is formed when cholesterol levels in the blood are too high and the cells within the arteries actually take up that cholesterol. It gets changed chemically and the artery lining, the areas right under the very innermost lining of the artery, are actually stimulated to grow so that the artery not only has cholesterol in it, but in some of these blood cells it actually has excess growth. As a result the opening in the artery becomes narrower and narrower, sort of as if you had boiler scale in a pipe. In addition, that innermost lining stops functioning as well, so its not as slick and shiny and smooth as it used to be, and blood is more likely to clot in that area. Those clots can then go to other places in the brain or in the heart and cause serious damage.