Anenrysm: A
point in the heart or a blood vessel that is extended and in danger of rupture.
Angina pectoris: A pain in the chest, often going into the left arm that is a
symptom of heart disease. It is brought on by emotion, exertion, exposure to
cold, or by a heavy meal. It is relieved by a few moments of rest or a tablet of
nitroglycerine.
Arrhythmia: An
irregular heartbeat that may be harmless or that may indicate heart disease.
Atherosclerosis: Build-up of fat in the arteries that lead to their clogging. It
starts in childhood through fatty diets and lack of exercise. High blood
cholesterol is a danger sign.
Balloon Angioplasty: When a balloon is inserted -inside a clogged coronary artery and
then inflated to unblock it. An alternative to bypass surgery (see below).
Beta-blockers: Medication which reduces the blood pressure and slows the heart
rate.
Blood clotting: A blood clot is a semisolid mass (lump) of blood
which can block the arteries either on a place with severe atherosclerosis
or it is transported by the blood to a narrower artery.
Blood pressure: The pressure of blood against the arteries when the heart
contracts -and when it is at rest. The .first is systolic pressure, and the
second diastolic pressure. It is measured by a sphygmomanometer. A reading of
160 (systolic) over 95 (diastolic) is defined as high blood pressure.
Bypass Surgery: When surgeons take a vein or artery from elsewhere in the body,
and use it to reroute blood around a clogged coronary artery.
Cardiac
(or heart) arrest: A sudden halt of the
heart’s contractions.
Cardiomyopathies:
Various diseases of the
heart muscle, usually of obscure origin.
Cardiovascular
diseases: Diseases of the heart
and blood vessels (see cardiac arrest, coronary heart disease, heart attack,
heart failure, rheumatic heart disease, stroke).
Cerebral:
Referring
to the brain.
Cerebrovascular
diseases (or stroke): Brain damage caused by impaired blood flow. The main
forms are:
•
cerebral
haemorrhage (bleeding in the brain because of a ruptured artery);
•
cerebral
thrombosis (clotting within a brain artery);
•
cerebral
embolism (blockage of a brain artery, usually by a small blood clot or by an
.air bubble).
Cholesterol: A fatty substance in theblood manufactured by the body. A diet rich in
fat, which adds cholesterol to the body, may lead to clogged blood vessels. A
cholesterol level of 240‘ or above should be treated. Diet and sometimes drugs
can reduce cholesterol levels.
Coronary (or ischaemic)
heart disease: A disability in the
heart’s functioning because- of insufficiency of blood supply to the heart
muscle in most cases caused by the narrowing of arteries and blood clots on the
narrow part. A severe form is myocardial infarction (death of part of a heart
muscle).
Diabetes: A disease caused by the malfunctioning of the
pancreas which produces insulin that regulates the body’s carbohydrate (sugar)
metabolism. Diabetics are particularly susceptible to coronay heart disease.
Diuretics: Medication which increases urination, eliminates
sodium chloride (salt) from the blood, and thus reduces blood pressure and
water retention in the body.
Heart Attack: A frequently used expression for myocardial
infarction (see coronary heart disease, above).
Heart Failure: A failure of the heart to pump sufficient blood
to the organs and tissues.
Hypertension: The most common disorder of the circulatory
system which indicates either a chronically elevated systolic or diastolic
arterial blood pressure, or both.
Renal hypertension: High blood pressure resulting from disease of
the kidney.
Rheumatic heart disease:
Damage to the valve and
muscles of the heart resulting from rheumatic fever which itself is caused by,
a streptococcal infection. It is-the commonest form of heart disease among
youth in developing countries.
Risk-factors: Personal habits that render an individual at
risk to cardiovascular attack: high blood pressure (160/95 mm Hg and
over), high,
cholesterol, tobacco use, lack of exercise, excess alcohol, obesity, fatty
foods, more than 5g daily intake of salt, stress.
Stroke:
The bursting or blocking
of a blood vessel in the brain that may result in paralysis (temporary or
permanent) in a part of the body, and in loss of speech.
Thanks For Reading
Please Leave Your Comments Below
No comments:
Post a Comment