Which statement correctly differentiates arterio and athero as prefixes?

• A. Arterio means plaque; Athero means hardening of the walls
• B. Arterio means hardening of the walls; Athero means plaque
• C. Arterio means dilation; Athero means inflammation
• D. Arterio means clotting; Athero means bleeding

Answer: (B)

Arterio- and athero- are prefixes used to describe what part of the vascular system is involved and what is happening there. Arterio- relates to arteries, the blood vessels carrying blood away from the heart. Athero- relates to plaque, specifically fatty deposits that can buildup in arterial walls.

The key idea is that athero- denotes plaque, as in atherosclerosis. This is why this prefix is paired with “plaque” in the statement. Arterio-, on the other hand, points to the artery itself rather than to a specific process like plaque formation. The condition describing hardening of arterial walls is arteriosclerosis, which uses the root sclerosis to indicate the stiffening, not the arterio- prefix by itself.

So the correct choice highlights that athero means plaque. The notion that arterio means hardening isn’t the precise meaning of that prefix, and the other options link the prefixes to processes (dilation, inflammation, clotting, bleeding) that don’t fit these terms.