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  Arteriosclerosis is a general term for the thickening and hardening of the arteries. A type of arteriosclerosis is atherosclerosis. As well as being stiff, the walls of the arteries have a build-up of plaque - a combination of cholesterol, cellular waste products, calcium and fibrin (a clotting material in the blood). New plaque tends to be soft, but is prone to rupturing. Plaque rupture can trigger the formation of a blood clot. Old plaque tends to have a lot of calcium and to be hard, which makes it somewhat less likely to rupture.
The circulatory system is very flexible and adaptive. Atherosclerotic plaque does not seriously impede the flow of blood until the lumen (the diameter of the blood vessel through which blood can flow) is significantly reduced. You can find further information here: The American Heart Association Website
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Atherosclerosis affects large and medium-sized arteries. The type of artery involved and the location of the plaque varies with each person. Researchers are still trying to determine why plaque is "patchy" (i.e., why it doesn't consistently throughout the artery, but is found only in certain locations). Atherosclerosis is a slow, progressive disease that may start as early as childhood. People's susceptibility to atherosclerosis varies with their genetic make-up and their lifestyles.
