| Abstrakt | | Atherosclerosis is a chronic accelerating arterial disease, which is the leading cause of mortality and morbidity in modern world. The atherogenesis process starts very early (childhood, youth), but it becomes clinically presentative in later life. There are many risk factors for atherosclerosis, but we can influence only on some of them. The more risk factors individual has, the greater is the probability for atherosclerosis to develop in later life time. We know more theories, which explain development of atherosclerosis: theory of injury, theory of infection and theory of inflammation. The atherosclerosis process is probably a combination of all of them. Atherosclerotic plaque fibrosis cap goes through different developmental phases: from a small thickening of fat in arterial wall, through vertical and lateral fat thickening to activation of smooth muscles of intima, collagen loading and fibrous cap development. In disadvanced hemodynamic conditions unstable plaque can rupture. Large thrombus formation, which obstructs the lumen vessel, might cause acute complications with specific clinical consequences. A small non-obstructive thrombus formation usually does not cause clinical consequences.
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