Atherosclerosis is a type of arteriosclerosis. The build-up that results is called plaque.
Atherosclerosis affects large and medium-sized arteries.
The type of artery and where the plaque develops varies with each person. Atherosclerosis is a slow, progressive disease that may start in childhood. In some people this disease progresses rapidly in their third decade. In others it doesn t become threatening until they re in their fifties or sixties.