Arteriosclerosis. Factores de riesgo cardiovascular

Atherosclerotic vascular disease is a complex pathologic process of the arterial wall which encompasses coronary, cerebral, and peripheral arteries, and it is responsible for the majority of cases of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Among the numerous factors involved in atherosclerotic lesion, endothelium, low density lipoproteins (LDL), muscle cells (SMC) and plaque inflammation promoters/enhancers stand out and play a critical role in the plaque formation and evolution. CVDs are a worldwide public health problem, especially in the developed world. In Western countries, the CVD risk in people aged 40 is high, 49% for men and 32% for women. Long-term exposure to numerous risk factors may cause atherosclerosis. In recent years, a number of new candidate risk factors have been proposed as significant predictors of atherosclerosis. The main aspects of the relationship between risk factors and CVD and recently published data on their prevalence in the Spanish population are described in this review.