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Atherosclerosis - Step 1 - Damage 

The first step and so the cause of atherosclerosis is damage to the endothelium of an artery. [好文分享：www.11jj.com]

The endothelium is a very thin layer of cells that lines the inside of an artery and thus is quite vulnerable to damage from the high pressure blood flow that an artery (the blood vessel that carries blood away from the heart) has to deal with.

Atherosclerosis - Part 2 - Inflammatory Response 

After the endothelium has been damaged, an inflammatory response occurs.

White blood cells leave the blood vessel and move into the artery wall.

Chemicals accumulate on the white blood cells, particularly cholesterol.

This deposit is called an atheroma (making up the "athero" in "atherosclerosis")