Clinical Diagnosis · Cardiovascular System · Easy
Atherosclerosis
Meaning: Build-up of fatty plaques within artery walls, narrowing the vessels and raising the risk of heart attack and stroke.
In practice: Smoking and high cholesterol accelerated his atherosclerosis, leading to angina in his early fifties.
Word parts
- -sclerosis means hardening
Many medical words are built from Greek and Latin parts like these, so learning a few helps you work out new terms.
Quick check
Two questions on related clinical diagnosis words.
Which word means: Gradual age-related hearing loss, mainly affecting high-pitched sounds.
Answer: Presbycusis
Which word means: Swollen, dilated vascular cushions of the anal canal; piles.
Answer: Haemorrhoids
Words like atherosclerosis come up in the daily game
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