Women and Heart Disease > Glossary
Angina (angina pectoris). Paroxysmal thoracic pain that often radiates to the arms; most often due to myocardial ischemia and precipitated by effort or excitement.
Cardiac catheterization. Passage of a catheter through a vein in an arm, leg, or neck and into the heart or coronary arteries for diagnostic or evaluation purposes. Coronary artery calcification (CAC). Deposition of calcium in the coronary arteries. Coronary artery disease (CAD). A condition in which atherosclerosis in at least 1 coronary artery reduces blood flow to the heart muscle, which can cause chest pain (angina), myocardial infarction, or sudden death; often used interchangeably with coronary heart disease. Coronary heart disease (CHD). Any of a group of acute or chronic cardiac disabilities resulting from insufficient supply of oxygenated blood to the heart; often used interchangeably with coronary artery disease. Dyslipidemia. Abnormality in, or abnormal amounts of, lipids and lipoproteins in the blood. Echocardiography. A method of visualizing the position and motion of the heart walls, internal structures of the heart, and neighboring tissues using ultrasonic waves directed through the chest walls. Electrocardiography (ECG). Graphic recording of the variations in electrical potential caused by electrical activity of the heart muscle and detected at the surface of the body. High-density lipoprotein (HDL). Class of lipoproteins that can remove cholesterol from the arteries and transport it to the liver for excretion or reutilization; often called "good cholesterol" (as opposed to low-density lipoproteins). Hypercholesterolemia. An excess of cholesterol in the blood. Ischemia. Deficiency of blood in a part of the body due to obstruction or functional constriction of a blood vessel. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL). Class of lipoproteins that carry cholesterol in the blood and around the body; often called "bad cholesterol" (as opposed to high-density lipoproteins) because elevated levels are associated with cardiovascular disease. Metabolic equivalent (MET). Unit of measure used to estimate the amount of oxygen used by the body during physical activity; MET level can be used to measure the intensity of physical activity. Metabolic syndrome. A condition comprising a cluster of risk factors, including abdominal obesity, dyslipidemia, elevated blood pressure, insulin resistance/glucose intolerance, and prothrombotic and proinflammatory states. Myocardial infarction (MI). Gross necrosis of the myocardium resulting from an interruption of blood supply to the area; almost always caused by atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries. Myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI). The visualization of blood flow in the myocardium; see SPECT and echocardiography. Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). An invasive procedure, such as balloon angioplasty and stent placement, to unblock narrowed coronary arteries. Pharmacologic stress. The use of certain agents to induce a state of stress in patients undergoing stress imaging (eg, SPECT, echocardiography) who are unable to exercise adequately to obtain accurate imaging results. Positron emission tomography (PET). A method of imaging that produces a 3-dimensional image of functional processes in the body by incorporating a short-lived radioactive isotope into a metabolically active molecule and injecting it into the body; a scanner then detects the positrons that are emitted by the decaying of the isotope. Silent ischemia. Asymptomatic cardiac ischemia. SPECT (single-photon emission computed tomography). A method of cardiac imaging in which a radioactive tracer is injected into the bloodstream, where its concentration is imaged using a gamma camera. Lower concentrations of tracer indicate areas of decreased blood flow. Stress testing. Cardiac imaging or electrocardiography performed while the patient is under exercise stress or pharmacologic stress.
