According to the Philippine Health Statistics of the Department of Health 2003, heart diseases (cardiovascular system) are included among the leading causes of mortality in the Philippines. Cardiovascular (also vascular) diseases are referred to by the general public as heart diseases which are imprecise, so they refer to the different types of diseases that can affect the heart or blood vessels. Vascular diseases can cause (1) weakening of blood vessel walls, which can lead to rupture, (2) narrowing of the lumen of blood vessels and limitation of oxygen delivery to a tissue, or ( 3) damage to the endothelial lining. and trigger intravascular thrombosis. The most common and dangerous determinant of vascular diseases is arteriosclerosis, which literally means "hardening of the heart." It is a general term for disorders that have similar effects on arterial walls: thickening and loss of elasticity. Arteriosclerosis can present in three types, namely Monckeberg medial calcific sclerosis, calcification of the media of muscular arteries; arteriolosclerosis, hyaline thickening of small arteries and arterioles; and the most common atherosclerosis, the formation of atheromas, a thickening of the artery wall caused by cholesterol-laden plaque and the buildup of scar tissue. Among the three disorders, atherosclerosis (AS) is the leading cause of death and morbidity. in the Western Hemisphere. It often targets the aorta and the coronary and cerebral systems, which makes myocardial infractions (heart attack) and cerebral infractions (stroke) two of its major consequences. AS is a slowly progressing disease; it is known to begin in childhood, but complications generally do not appear until middle age, when the arteries...... middle of paper...... cellular mechanisms. Morlenbach, Germany: Verlag GmbH & Co.5. Christian, W. and Goehnlein, O. (2013). Atherosclerosis: treatment and prevention. Boca Raton, FL: Taylor & Francis Group, LLC6. Maciejko, J. (2004). Atherosclerosis risk factors. Washington, DC: American Association for Clinical Chemistry Press.7. No author. (2011). How is atherosclerosis diagnosed? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Retrieved from https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/atheros clerosis/diagnostic.html8. Edgardo, E. (2013). Combating obesity among Filipino children. Health and lifestyle. Retrieved from http://healthandlifestylemagazine.wordpress.com/2013/01/15/addressing-obesity-among-filipino-children/9. Nordqvist, J. (2012). What is atherosclerosis? What are the causes of atherosclerosis. Medical News Today. Retrieved from http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/247837.php