THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THROMBOSIS AND ATHEROSCLEROSIS: BIOCHEMICAL DISSECTION OF TWO PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL CONTINUUMS

Abstract

Atherosclerosis and thrombosis have long been considered links in a single chain (atherothrombosis), yet their biochemical drivers, temporal dynamics, and molecular effectors are fundamentally different. Atherosclerosis is a lipid-centric, inflammatory-fibroproliferative disease triggered by the subendothelial accumulation of modified apoB-containing lipoproteins. Thrombosis is a protease cascade aimed at fibrin polymerization, activated either by endothelial injury (extrinsic pathway) or by contact activation of plasma factors (intrinsic pathway). This review provides a level-by-level comparison, from genes and single nucleotide polymorphisms to metabolic networks and clinical biomarkers.