Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for around 18 million deaths each year. Of these, more than 80 per cent are due to heart attack or stroke. CVD is responsible for a quarter of deaths in the UK, more than 160,000 every year.^1,2

Atherosclerosis (or arteriosclerosis) is the build-up of fatty plaques (atheroma) in artery walls and is the main underlying cause of CVD. The narrowing of arteries impairs blood flow (ischaemia), reducing oxygen supply or causing blood clots (thrombosis).^3,4

Moderate to severe atherosclerosis in the coronary arteries in heart tissue can lead to the chest pain of angina, a heart attack or heart failure (the heart’s reduced ability to pump properly due to weakness or stiffness). Coronary heart disease (CHD), also called ischaemic heart disease (IHD), is the most common type of heart disease and is the most common cause of heart attack, resulting in more than 100,000 hospital admissions in the UK each year.^2,3,4,5

IHDs were the second leading cause of death in 2019, accounting for more than 55,000 deaths in England and Wales or around 10.4 per cent of all deaths. Of these, 34,841 were males (139.6 deaths per 100,000 males) and 20,223 females (60.7 deaths per 100,000 females). Only dementia and Alzheimer’s disease cause more death.⁶

In the brain, atherosclerosis can lead to transient ischaemic attacks (TIAs) while a thrombosis in the carotid arteries going to the brain can cause a stroke. Elsewhere in the body, atherosclerosis is a cause of peripheral arterial disease (a typical symptom being leg pain when walking), kidney disease, and aneurysms.^3,4