Arteriosclerosis is the general term for hardening of the arteries.
Atherosclerosis is a type of arteriosclerosis that primarily affects the inner lining of the artery.
As people grow older, their arteries tend to harden, so that most adults have some degree of arteriosclerosis. Although gradual loss of elasticity in arterial walls is inevitable, the seriousness of arteriosclerosis is directly linked to how much you are affected by atherosclerosis, or fatty deposits in the lining of your blood vessels. A combination of arterial aging and fatty deposits makes the arteries increasingly narrow and also stiffer-that is, less and less able to expand. Arteriosclerosis can affect all major arteries, but more often the arteries in which the blood supply is seriously reduced are the smaller ones that carry blood to your brain, heart, and legs. At times arteriosclerosis weakens the walls of an artery so that it expands.