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Heart Health and Cardiovascular Conditions—Glossary of Terms and Definitions

by Rashmi Gulati, MD

These are a terms and definitions relating to heart health, cardiovascular conditions, and the diagnosis, treatment, and management of heart disease.

Angina pectoris—A sudden burst of pain in the chest accompanied by a feeling of suffocation. It is caused by restricted blood flow and can result in death.

Arrhythmia—Irregular heart beat, manifested as irregular rate and/or rhythm.

Atherosclerosis—Build-up of plaque in the arteries, causing a narrowing of the arteries and constriction of blood flow.

Atria—The two upper chambers of the heart, known as the left atrium and the right atrium. After blood has traveled throughout the body, distributing oxygen and picking up carbon dioxide, the atria receive the carbon dioxide-laden blood and force it into the ventricles of the heart.

Atrioventricular—Related to the heart atria and heart ventricles.

Blood Vessels—Tubes that transport blood throughout the body, comprising arteries, capillaries, arterioles, veins, and venules.

Cholesterol—A waxy fat-like substance produced by the body, and found in certain foods. Cholesterol is packaged in two forms within a lipoprotein sheath: high density lipoproteins (HDL), and low density lipoproteins (LDL).

Cardiovascular—A term referring to anything related to the heart and its blood vessels.

Hypertension—High blood pressure.

Myocarditis—The myocardium is a part of the muscular heart wall. When it suffers from inflammation the condition is called myocarditis.

Myocardial ischemia—Depletion of oxygen and nutrient supply to the heart muscle (myocardium), often the result of coronary heart disease.

Ventricles—The two lower chambers of the heart, known as the left ventricle and the right ventricle. The walls are rather muscular. The ventricles receive blood from the atria and push it into the arteries, so that it can travel to the lungs to pick up oxygen for circulation throughout the body.

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