Age is the dominant risk factor for atherosclerosis and its complications including heart attack, congestive heart failure, and stroke. Yet little is known about the way that ageing acts to prepare arteries for atheroma. This work addresses ageing as a risk factor, and claims a broad range of success, giving previously unsuspected explanations. Most of the material here is outside of the usual range pursued in this active field during recent decades, and serves to open new avenues of inquiry into neglected topics. The mathematical treatment of the subject matter is daunting but rarely goes beyond the level of high school algebra. Furthermore, it is not necessary to master the mathematics in order to gasp the biological principles.