Pathophysiology of Atherosclerosis and its adverse effect: Systematic Review

Atherosclerosis is characterized as a chronic inflammatory condition affecting the inner lining of large and medium-sized arteries, typically manifesting as atheromas and patchy intimal plaques.  Various risk factors, including age, family history, male gender, smoking, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, alcohol consumption, Chlamydia infection, hyper-homocysteinemia, obesity, and a sedentary lifestyle, contribute to the development of atherosclerosis. Understanding the pathogenesis, associated complications, and the scale of the issue is crucial in assessing this condition. The primary objective of this systematic review is to examine recent advancements in atherosclerosis, focusing on its pathophysiology, associated complications, and related issues. Recent publications on the pathophysiology, historical context, epidemiology, clinical implications, risk factors, diagnosis, and treatment of atherosclerosis published in English from January 1996 to 2024 were considered for inclusion. The review encompassed studies with free full-text access, books, clinical trials, meta-analyses, randomized controlled trials, reviews, and systematic reviews. Extensive literature search strategies were employed to identify both published and unpublished primary studies through electronic searches of PubMed/Medline and Google Scholar. Initially, 439 studies were retrieved from these databases, with 168 studies undergoing screening after duplicates were removed. Following the application of inclusion criteria, a total of 100 eligible studies were included in the systematic review after screening fulltext articles. Atherosclerosis stands as a leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally, particularly prevalent in industrialized nations. The existing data predominantly stem from human and animal experimental work and epidemiological studies. Complicated atheromas may exhibitactor reduction, and appropriate atherosclerosis management are essential in addressing this significant health concern.