Animation: atheroma in the artery

Watch our animation showing the development of atheroma in the artery. You can see how cholesterol accumulates in the bloodstream, triggering an immune response and resulting in the formation of a blood clot. Part of Wellcome Trust's Big Picture: Food and Diet (www.wellcome.ac.uk/bigpicture/food). Includes: thrombus, thromboplastin, thrombin, fibrin, fibrinogen, clotting, plaques, clotting cascade, collagen, endothelium, cholesterol, atheroma. Atheroma can cause various cardiovascular diseases such as angina, heart attack, stroke and peripheral vascular disease.