Atherogenesis: The Development of Stable and Unstable Plaques

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) as reported by the World Health Organization (WHO) represent the foremost cause of death worldwide [1]. Recent estimates in 2012 indicate 17.5 million deaths from CVDs, corresponding to 31 % deaths worldwide. Of these, an estimated 7.4 million were attributed to coronary artery disease (CAD) and 6.7 million strokes, while assessments in 2000 were lower at 6 million for CAD and 5.7 million for stroke, thus indicating a substantial rise over the past decade. As society is aging, the number of CVD-related deaths is expected to increase further to 23.6 million by 2030 [2].