The public health impact of atherosclerosis
Atherosclerosis (and the resulting cardiovascular diseases) is the single biggest cause of death in the developed world, accounting for one in three of all deaths.
Each year an estimated 124,000 deaths are caused by cardiovascular disease in England and Wales. Around 39,000 of these deaths occur in people under 75 years.
For every death, cardiovascular disease causes two non-fatal but serious complications, such as a stroke or heart attack.
It is expected that atherosclerosis will continue to be a major health problem in this country because of the ongoing obesity epidemic.