冠状动脉粥样硬化(AS)是全球第五大疾病,由其导致的急性心肌梗塞(acute myocardial infarction,简称AMI)是危害人类健康的一个主要疾病。过去的几十年里,由于治疗方法的进步和人口总体生活模式的改变,由AS引起的死亡率已经减少。但是,尽管有这些进步,该病所引起的缺血性心脏病导致的致病率和死亡率在未来由于感染性疾病的减少而仍将上升。 AS主要是一个无症状过程。AS斑块生长当引起冠脉血流减少时在临床上即发生心绞痛。这种临床综合症可以表现为很多年稳定,但是,斑块的突然破裂也可以触发急性冠脉综合症(ACS)发生,表现为不稳定心绞痛、AMI和猝死。导致ACS的主要病理变化是 Coronary atherosclerosis (AS) is the fifth largest disease in the world. The acute myocardial infarction (AMI) caused by it is one of the major diseases endangering human health. In the past few decades, the mortality rate caused by AS has decreased due to advances in treatment and changes in the overall life style of the population. Despite these advances, however, the morbidity and mortality due to ischemic heart disease caused by the disease will continue to rise in the future as a result of the reduction in infectious diseases. AS is primarily an asymptomatic process. AS plaque growth occurs when the coronary blood flow caused by the reduction in clinical angina. This clinical syndrome can appear stable for many years, but a sudden rupture of the plaque can also trigger the development of acute coronary syndromes (ACS), manifested as unstable angina, AMI and sudden death. The main pathological changes that lead to ACS are