Whilst the body needs some cholesterol, extra cholesterol may get stored in your arteries (blood vessels) leaving deposits or patches called atheroma. Patches of atheroma, also called plaques, are like small fatty lumps that develop on the linings of arteries causing them to narrow. Large deposits can block an artery, so the blood cannot flow through. This can affect any blood vessel.

If the vessel is an artery to the brain then a stroke can happen.