Atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis is a progressive disease of medium and large arteries in which apoB-containing lipoproteins become retained in the arterial wall and sustain a non-resolving inflammatory response. The result may be a gradually narrowing plaque, but the most dangerous transition is often plaque disruption followed by thrombosis. That distinction explains why a patient can have serious myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, or acute limb ischemia without a previously known critical stenosis. Canadian assessment therefore combines symptom pattern, vascular examination, lipid-related risk, and the patient’s overall cardiovascular risk rather than relying on a single cholesterol value or imaging result. NPs apply provincial or territorial prescribing authority, formulary requirements, and local acute-care pathways when implementing treatment.