Abstract
Atherosclerosis is recognized as a complex inflammatory condition in which various immune system cells interact with each other and with cells of the arterial wall. This article describes inflammation as the underlying mechanism that links obesity and atherosclerosis. Just a few decades ago, atherosclerosis was viewed as a lipid storage disease, in which cholesterol accumulated as a waxy deposit within the walls of an inanimate artery, similar to rust clogging a pipe. Today, atherosclerosis is recognized as a complex inflammatory condition in which various immune system cells interact with each other and with cells of the arterial wall. Peter Libby, MD, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, described inflammation as the underlying mechanism that links obesity and atherosclerosis.