Chapter 10 - Preventing Cardiovascular Disease

Question 1

Angina pectoris

Answer 1

Chest pain associated with coronary heart disease.

Question 2

Angioplasty

Answer 2

A procedure in which a ballon-tipped catheter is inserted, then inflated, to widen the inner lumen of the artery.

Question 3

Arrhythmias

Answer 3

Irregular heart rhythms.

Question 4

Atherosclerosis

Answer 4

Fatty/cholesterol deposits in the walls of the arteries leading to formation of plaque.

Question 5

Blood lipids (fat)

Answer 5

Cholesterol and triglycerides.

Question 6

Blood pressure

Answer 6

A measure of the force exerted against the walls of the vessels by the blood flowing through them.

Question 7

C-reactive protein (CRP)

Answer 7

A protein whose blood levels increase with inflammation, at times hidden deep in the body; elevation of this protein is an indicator of potential cardiovascular events.

Question 8

Cardiovascular disease (CVD)

Answer 8

The array of conditions that affect the heart and the blood vessels.

Question 9

Catecholamines

Answer 9

“Fight-or-flight” hormones, including epinephrine and norepinephrine.

Question 10

Cholesterol

Answer 10

A waxy substance, technically a steroid alcohol, found only in animal fats and oil; used in making cell membranes, as a building block for some hormones, in the fatty sheath around nerve fibers, and other necessary substances.

Question 11

Chylomicrons

Answer 11

Triglyceride-transporting molecules.

Question 12

Coronary heart disease (CHD)

Answer 12

Condition in which the arteries that supply the heart muscle with oxygen and nutrients are narrowed by fatty deposits, such as cholesterol and triglycerides.

Question 13

Diabetes mellitus

Answer 13

A disease in which the body doesn’t produce or utilize insulin properly.

Question 14

Diastolic blood pressure

Answer 14

Pressure exerted by blood against walls of arteries during relaxation phase (diastole) of the heart; lower of the two numbers in blood pressure readings.

Question 15

Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG)

Answer 15

A recording of the electrical activity of the heart.

Question 16

Glucose intolerance

Answer 16

A condition characterized by slightly elevated blood glucose levels.

Question 17

High-density lipoproteins (HDLs)

Answer 17

Cholesterol-transporting molecules in the blood (“good” cholesterol) that help clear cholesterol from the blood.

Question 18

Homocysteine

Answer 18

An amino acid that, when allowed to accumulate in the blood, may lead to plaque formation and blockage of arteries.

Question 19

Hypertension

Answer 19

Chronically elevated blood pressure.

Question 20

Hypotension

Answer 20

Low blood pressure.

Question 21

Insulin

Answer 21

A hormone secreted by the pancreas; essential for proper metabolism of blood glucose (sugar) and maintenance of blood glucose level.

Question 22

Insulin

Answer 22

Inability of the cells to respond appropriately to insulin.

Question 23

Low-density lipoproteins (LDLs)

Answer 23

Cholesterol-transporting molecules in the blood (“bad” cholesterol) that tend to increase blood cholesterol.

Question 24

Metabolic syndrome

Answer 24

An array of metabolic abnormalities that contribute to the development of atherosclerosis triggered by insulin resistance. These conditions include low HDL-cholesterol, high triglycerides, high blood pressure, and an increased blood-clotting mechanism.

Question 25

Myocardial infarction

Answer 25

Heart attack; damage to or death of an area of the heart muscle as a result of an obstructed artery to that area.

Question 26

Myocardium

Answer 26

Heart muscle.

Question 27

Peripheral vascular disease

Answer 27

Narrowing of the peripheral blood vessels.

Question 28

Processed foods

Answer 28

A food which has been chemically altered from its natural state through additives such as flavors, flavor enhancers, colors, binders, preservatives, stabilizers, emulsifiers, fillers, and so on, or which has been manufactured through combination or methods.

Question 29

Reverse cholesterol transport

Answer 29

A process in which HDL molecules attract cholesterol and carry it to the liver, where it is changed to bile and eventually excreted in the stool.

Question 30

Risk factors

Answer 30

Lifestyle and genetic variables that may lead to disease.

Question 31

Stress electrocardiogram

Answer 31

An exercise test during which the workload is increased gradually until the individual reaches maximal fatigue, with blood pressure and 12-lead electrocardiographic monitoring throughout the test.

Question 32

Stroke

Answer 32

Condition in which a blood vessel that feeds the brain ruptures or is clogged, leading to blood flow disruption to the brain.

Question 33

Systolic blood pressure

Answer 33

Pressure exerted by blood against walls arteries during forceful contraction (systole) of the heart; higher of the two numbers in blood pressure readings.

Question 34

Triglycerides

Answer 34

Fats formed by glycerol and three fatty acids; also called free fatty acids.

Question 35

Type 1 diabetes

Answer 35

Insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), a condition in which the pancreas produces little or no insulin; also know as juvenile diabetes.

Question 36

Type 2 diabetes

Answer 36

Non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), a condition in which insulin is not processed properly; also known as adult-onset diabetes.

Question 37

Very-low-density lipoproteins (VLDLs)

Answer 37

Triglyceride, cholesterol, and phospholipid-transporting molecules in the blood.