0 a substance containing a lot of fat that forms on the inside wall of an artery and causes it to become hard or blocked --
Higher pressures increase heart workload and progression of unhealthy tissue growth (atheroma) that develops within the walls of arteries.
Presence or absence of atherosclerosis or atheroma within the walls of the arteries can not be clearly determined.
Generally an atheroma becomes vulnerable if it grows more rapidly and has a thin cover separating it from the bloodstream inside the arterial lumen.
The result is the formation of a thrombus (blood clot) overlying the atheroma, which obstructs blood flow acutely.
By contrast there are non-traveling blockages that develop locally from vascular trauma or epithelial pathology and vascular inflammation like atheroma, thrombi.
Peripheral gangrene may result from atheroma in peripheral blood vessels, and sometimes from vasculitis itself.
The underlying cause was given as coronary thrombosis due to coronary atheroma.
On average, life expectancy is reduced in rheumatoid arthritis by about five years and atheroma is a key contributing cause.
