C-Reactive Protein (CRP Blood Test) Glossary of Terms

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Acute: Of abrupt onset, in reference to a disease. Acute often also connotes an illness th...

Acute myocardial infarction: A heart attack.

Arthritis: Inflammation of a joint. When joints are inflamed they can develop stiffness, w...

Aspirin: Once the Bayer trademark for acetylsalicylic acid, now the common name for this a...

Atherosclerosis: A process of progressive thickening and hardening of the walls of medium-...

Atherosclerotic: Pertaining to atherosclerosis, the process of progressive thickening and ...

Blood clot: A mass of coagulated blood. A blood clot can block a major blood vessel, causi...

Blood pressure: The blood pressure is the pressure of the blood within the arteries. It is...

BMI: Body mass index.

Body mass index: A key index for relating weight to height. Abbreviated BMI. BMI is a pers...

Brain: The portion of the central nervous system that is located within the skull. It func...

C-reactive protein: An acute-phase plasma protein whose blood concentration reflects the p...

Cardiac: Having to do with the heart.

Cardiovascular: Relating to the circulatory system, which comprises the heart and blood ve...

Cardiovascular disease: Disease affecting the heart or blood vessels.

CDC: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the US agency charged with tracking a...

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: The US agency charged with tracking and invest...

Cholesterol: The most common type of steroid in the body. Cholesterol has a reputation for...

Circulation: In medicine, the movement of fluid through the body in a regular or circuitou...

Coronary arteries: The vessels that supply the heart muscle with blood rich in oxygen. The...

CRP: C-reactive protein.

Diabetes: Refers to diabetes mellitus or, less often, to diabetes insipidus. Diabetes mell...

Diabetes mellitus: Better known just as "diabetes" -- a chronic disease associated with ab...

Dyslipidemia: A disorder of lipoprotein metabolism, including lipoprotein overproduction o...

Erythrocyte: A cell that contains hemoglobin and can carry oxygen to the body. Also called...

Fasting: : going without food or drink. Patients may be advised to fast for a certain peri...

Heart: The muscle that pumps blood received from veins into arteries throughout the body. ...

Heart attack: The death of heart muscle due to the loss of blood supply. The loss of bloo...

Heart disease: Any disorder that affects the heart. Sometimes the term "heart disease" is ...

High blood pressure: A repeatedly elevated blood pressure exceeding 140 over 90 mmHg. Chro...

Hypertension: High blood pressure, defined as a repeatedly elevated blood pressure exceedi...

Infarction: The formation of an infarct, an area of tissue death, due to a local lack of o...

Infection: The invasion and multiplication of microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, an...

Inflammation: A localized reaction that produces redness, warmth, swelling, and pain as a ...

Injury: Harm or hurt. To harm, hurt, or wound. The word injure may be in physical or emot...

Liter: A metric measure of capacity that is equal to the volume of 1 kilogram of water at ...

Liver: The largest solid organ in the body, situated in the upper part of the abdomen on t...

Marker: A piece of DNA that lies on a chromosome so close to a gene that the marker and t...

MPH: Master of public health, a degree designating successful training in analyzing past, ...

Myocardial infarction: A heart attack. Abbreviated MI.

Obesity: The state of being well above one's normal weight.

Plaque: 1. An semi-hardened accumulation of substances from fluids that bathe an a...

Protein: One of the three nutrients used as energy sources (calories) by the body. Protein...

Risk factor: Something that increases a person's chances of developing a disease. For exam...

Rupture: A break or tear in any organ (such as the spleen) or soft tissue (such as the ach...

Sedimentation rate: A blood test that detects and monitors inflammation in the body. Abbre...

Statins: A class of drugs that lower cholesterol.

Trauma: A physical or emotional injury.

Vascular: Relating to blood vessels. For example, the vascular system in the body includes...

Vessel: A tube in the body that carries fluids. Examples of vessels are blood vessels and ...

Weight loss: Weight loss is a decrease in body weight resulting from either voluntary (die...