Atherosclerosis

This book provides new perspectives on the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Chapters cover atherosclerosis risk factors, the effect of growth and aging on vascular architecture, and the crucial role the microvasculature plays in atherosclerosis development. Microvascular dysfunction would explain why the well-known risk factors actually put individuals at higher risk. This pathomechanism would also hold true not only for obstructive atheroma formation but also for aneurysmal dilatation as well as for aortic and peripheral artery dissection. When seen through this lens, novel preventive and therapeutic opportunities can be envisioned.

This volume is dedicated to Atherosclerosis - a subject of enormous contention for cardiologists and in general for all medical doctors. With this publication we have given you a concise "state-of-the-art" look at the world of atheroma. Many other elements could be included and so it is only a brief analysis of "today" (the preventive medicine era) and "tomorrow" (transforming the cure medicine era into the care medicine era) but also remembering "yesterday" (the ex-cathedra medicine era).