Arteriosclerosis

As its name indicates, arteriosclerosis means degeneration of the arteries. The term arteriosclerosis is generally used to refer to a hardening, accompanied by thickening, of the intermediary layer (the medium, formed from muscle fibres) of the arterial walls.

The term arteriosclerosis is sometimes used as a generic term to describe degeneration of arteries, and therefore also includesatherosclerosis that involves the formation of atheromatous plaques in the internal layer of the artery (the intima).