Atherosclerosis Pathophysiology and the Role of Novel Risk Factors

Atherosclerosis Pathophysiology and the Role of Novel Risk Factors: A Clinicobiochemical Perspective
V. Mallika, Binita Goswami, and Medha Rajappa

Angiology Volume 58, Number 5, 2007

Atherosclerosis is the root cause of the biggest killer of the 21st century. Mechanisms contributing to atherogenesis are multiple and complex. A number of theories—including the role of dyslipidemia, hypercoagulability, oxidative stress, endothelial dysfunction, and inflammation and infection by certain pathogens—have been propounded from time to time explain this complex phenomenon. Recently it has been suggested that atherosclerosis is a multifactorial, multistep disease that involves chronic inflammation at every step, from initiation to progression, and that all the risk factors contribute to pathogenesis by aggravating the underlying inflammatory process. A better understanding of the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis will aid in devising pharmaceutical and lifestyle modifications for reducing mortality resulting from coronary artery disease (CAD).