High Cholesterol and Children Glossary of Terms

1. Cholesterol Levels Slideshow Pictures
2. Lower Cholesterol Slideshow: Avoid Heart Disease
3. Take the Cholesterol Quiz

Aerobic: Oxygen-requiring. Aerobic bacteria need oxygen to grow. Aerobic exercise requires...

Aerobic exercise: Brisk exercise that promotes the circulation of oxygen through the blood...

American Academy of Pediatrics: AAP. Its member pediatricians "dedicate their efforts and ...

Analysis: In psychology, a term for conversation-based therapeutic processes used to gain ...

Angina: Chest pain due to an inadequate supply of oxygen to the heart muscle. The pain is ...

Artery: A vessel that carries blood high in oxygen content away from the heart to the far...

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

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

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

Cardiovascular disease: Disease affecting the heart or blood vessels.

Cell: The basic structural and functional unit of any living thing. Each cell is a small c...

Chest: The area of the body located between the neck and the abdomen. The chest contains t...

Chest pain: Pain in the chest that can be a result of many things, including angina, heart...

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

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

Essential: In medicine, of unknown cause, as in essential hypertension (high blood pressur...

Family history: The family structure and relationships within the family, including inform...

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

Fats: Plural of the word "fat". See the definition of fat.

Fiber: The parts of fruits and vegetables that cannot be digested. Fiber is of vital impor...

HDL: High density lipoprotein.

HDL cholesterol: High density lipoprotein cholesterol. Lipoproteins, which are combination...

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 ...

Heart muscle: A type of muscle with unique features only found in the heart. The heart mus...

Heredity: The genetic transmission of characteristics from parent to child.

Hypercholesterolemia: High blood cholesterol. This can be sporadic (occurring with no fami...

Intervention: The act of intervening, interfering or interceding with the intent of modify...

LDL cholesterol: Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, commonly referred to as 'bad' choles...

Lipid: Another word for "fat." (Please see the various meanings of Fat.) A lipid is more f...

Lipid profile: A pattern of lipids in the blood. A lipid profile usually includes the leve...

Lipoprotein: A molecule that is a combination of lipid and protein. Lipids do not travel i...

Lipoproteins: Complexes of lipid and protein, the way lipids travel in the blood.

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

Muscle: Muscle is the tissue of the body which primarily functions as a source of power. T...

NCEP: The National Cholesterol Education Program. See: National Cholesterol Education Prog...

Obese: Well above ones normal weight. A person has traditionally been considered to be obe...

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

Organ: A relatively independent part of the body that carries out one or more special func...

Overweight: The term "overweight" is used in two different ways. In one sense it is a way ...

Pain: An unpleasant sensation that can range from mild, localized discomfort to agony. Pa...

Pediatrics: The field of medicine that is concerned with the health of infants, children, ...

Peripheral: Situated away from the center, as opposed to centrally located.

Peripheral vascular disease: A disease of blood vessels outside the heart. Peripheral vasc...

Postmenopausal: After menopause, the period of time after a woman has experienced 12 conse...

Renal: Having to do with the kidney. For example, renal cancer is cancer of the kidneys.

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

Saturated fat: A fat that contains only saturated fatty acids, is solid at room temperatur...

Spleen: An organ that is located in the upper-left part of the abdomen, not far from the s...

Stress: In a medical or biological context stress is a physical, mental, or emotional fact...

Stroke: The sudden death of brain cells due to lack of oxygen, caused by blockage of blood...

Thyroid: 1. The thyroid gland. Also, pertaining to the thyroid gland. 2. A p...

Trans fat: An unhealthy substance, also known as trans fatty acid, made through the chemic...

Triglycerides: The major form of fat stored by the body. A triglyceride consists of three ...

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

Vitamins: The word "vitamin" was coined in 1911 by the Warsaw-born biochemist Casimir Funk...

Yogurt: A common dish made of milk curdled and fermented with a culture of Lactobacillus (...