arteriosclerosis

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

• noun A chronic disease in which thickening, hardening, and loss of elasticity of the arterial walls result in impaired blood circulation. It develops with aging, and in hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and other conditions.

from The Century Dictionary.

• noun An increase of connective tissue In the walls of the arteries, especially in the inner coat. The resulting progressive thickening and contraction of the vessels interfere with the blood-supply of their own walls so that these become degenerated and weak, while at the same time their abnormal rigidity makes it difficult or impossible for the normal variations in caliber, in response to nervous stimuli, to take place. Local areas of fatty degeneration with the subsequent deposition of lime salts are apt to form, especially in the larger vessels, and are called atheromatous patches. A pulse of high tension with enlargement of the heart, due to the increased resistance to the blood flow, and Bright's disease owing to the involvement of the small vessels of the kidney, frequently accompany arteriosclerosis. Various disorders of the brain, including a tendency to apoplexy, and a predisposition to gangrene of the extremities, are other common consequences of the disease. In old age there is usually a greater or less degree of arteriosclerosis, and its presence then indicates that the bodily machine is beginning to wear out, but certain other factors, notably intemperance in eating and drinking, may cause it to appear early in life.
• noun The increase of connective tissue in the walls of arteries, especially in the intima.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

• noun (Med.) a chronic disease characterized by abnormal thickening and hardening of the walls of the arteries, esp. of the intima, occurring mostly in old age. Subtypes are distinguished, such as arteriolosclerosis and atherosclerosis.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

• noun pathology Hardening, narrowing or loss of elasticity in arteries or blood vessels.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

• noun sclerosis of the arterial walls