Atherosclerosis prevention in youth.

Atherosclerosis-associated circulatory disturbance is one of the most important global issues. In patients with atherosclerosis, eccentric intimal thickening and lipid deposition progress over a long period (at least 20 to 30 years). On the other hand, in patients with atherosclerosis-associated circulatory disturbance represented by myocardial infarction, the direct cause of death is thrombus formation rather than marked stenosis; wall destruction may lead to a fatal outcome. In the future, atherosclerosis susceptibility, that is, intrinsic genes, should be investigated.