What is arteriosclerosis?

• A. A rapid heartbeat
• B. A condition involving high cholesterol only
• C. A hardening or thickening of the body's arteries resulting from the buildup on arterial walls of plaque and cholesterol
• D. A disease of the lungs

Answer: (C)

Arteriosclerosis means arteries harden and thicken, typically because fatty plaques and cholesterol accumulate on the inner walls. This buildup makes the arteries less flexible and narrows their passageways, which can reduce blood flow to the heart, brain, and other organs and raise the risk of heart attack or stroke. High cholesterol can contribute to the plaques, but the term describes the actual changes in the arterial walls, not cholesterol levels alone. It is not a rapid heartbeat, nor a disease of the lungs.