Atheroscleritis is a more rational term for the pathological entity currently known as atherosclerosis

Abstract

The term "atheroma", a Latin word was first used in 1755 by Albrecht von Halles to designate the plaque deposited on the innermost layer of systemic artery walls. In 1940, however, Félix Marchand suggested the word "atherosclerosis" should be better instead of "atheroma", which is derived from two Greek roots: athéré means gruel or porridge and sclerosis signifies hardening. It is obviously an improvement over the older designation arteriosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is still used up to data because it describes the two components of plaque: the lipid-filled core of atheroma encased in a shell of sclerosis or fibrosis, which presents the feature of atherosclerotic structure. Although atherosclerosis has been considered to be multi-factorial disease in which genetic, environmental, metabolic factors have been implicated, the gaps remain in our knowledge of the etiopathogenesis of atherosclerosis. More recently, there is mounting evidence that inflammation plays an important role in the initiation, development as well as evolution of atherosclerosis. The data from animals as well as humans indicated that an inflammatory process was involved in all stages of atherosclerosis appeared in different clinical settings, including atheromatous development, plaque rupture, restenotic process. The anti-inflammatory approach has been showed as one of the most promising strategies for atherosclerosis, such as statin intervention. Based on evidence and in light of the new understanding that inflammation is an intrinsic part of the process, we would like to propose a further change of nomenclature, call the disease atheroscleritis.