The predominant change that occurs in blood vessels with age is atherosclerosis defined as the development of fatty plaques and proliferation of connective tissue in the walls of arteries. Slow destruction of the arterial wall can lead to blockage of the artery. particularly when a blood clot develops on its damaged surface. So prevalent is this condition that one may argue it is an inevitable phenomenon of aging. And although the clinical consequences of atherosclerosis are often sudden and life-threatening (e.g. heart attacks and strokes) and come toward the end of life, it has become clear in recent years that the earliest evidence of fatty accumulation is detectable in the first decade of life, and that lesions progress throughout life.