Arteriosclerosis

Patent Granted Arteriosclerosis is the thickening, hardening and loss of elasticity of the walls of arteries.[1] The word arteriosclerosis is a general term describing any hardening (and loss of elasticity) of medium or large arteries (from the Greek αρτηρία, meaning artery, and σκληρωτικός, meaning hardened). It should not be confused with atherosclerosis, which is a specific form of arteriosclerosis caused by the buildup of fatty plaques and cholesterol in the artery.