What are the symptoms of atherosclerosis?

Many or none: Many symptoms. The most common are chest pain, shortness of breath, jaw pain, arm pain, sweating, fatigue, abdominal pain, leg pain, dizziness and also back pain. Sometimes atherosclerosis is a stealth disease and there are no symptoms.

None for Decades: Atherosclerosis typically starts in childhood yet typically remains asymptomatic for many decades; until plaque ruptures, clots and/or aneurysms develop. However, plaque ruptures occur suddenly, too late to take better action and most events, despite damage, are mostly asymptomatic. Thus best aggressively changing risk factors years before symptoms begin is best, though, unfortunatley, rarely done.

No direct symptoms: Atherosclerosis cannot be detected by direct symptoms. Narrowing of arteries diminishes blood supply and oxygen reaching tissues and this creates symptoms relating to tissue damage or death of tissue and sometimes of the host. Plaques can also break off, travel thru the blood vessels and clog up some area which will die.