Plaque buildup in the arterial walls is known as:

• A. Hypertension
• B. Diabetes mellitus
• C. Atherosclerosis
• D. Valvular stenosis

Answer: (C)

Plaque buildup in the arterial walls describes atherosclerosis, a process where lipid-rich plaques accumulate in the inner lining of arteries. Over time this causes the arteries to thicken and stiffen, narrowing the lumen and reducing blood flow. This can lead to tissue ischemia and raises the risk of clots that may trigger heart attacks or strokes. Factors like high LDL cholesterol, endothelial dysfunction, inflammation, smoking, hypertension, and diabetes contribute to its development. The other terms refer to different conditions—high blood pressure is a sustained increase in arterial pressure; diabetes mellitus is a condition of elevated blood glucose; valvular stenosis is narrowing of a heart valve. So, the condition that matches plaque buildup in the arterial walls is atherosclerosis.