Cholesterol FAQs Glossary of Terms

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

Aging: The process of becoming older, a process that is genetically determined and environ...

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-...

Bile: Bile is a yellow-green fluid that is made by the liver, stored in the gallbladder a...

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

Carotid: Pertaining to the carotid artery and the area near that key artery, which is loca...

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...

Claudication: Limping. From the Latin claudicare, which means 'to limp.' The Roman emperor...

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

CVA: Cerebrovascular accident.

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

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

Genetic: Having to do with genes and genetic
information.

HDL: High density lipoprotein.

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 ...

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...

Niacin: Nicotinic acid, one of the B-complex B vitamins. Deficiency of niacin in the diet...

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

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

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

Peripheral artery disease: A form of peripheral vascular disease in which there is partial...

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

Statins: A class of drugs that lower cholesterol.

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

Substance: 1. Material with particular features.
2. The material that...

Symptom: Any subjective evidence of disease. In contrast, a sign is objective. Blood comin...

TIA: Transient ischemic attack.

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

Vitamin D: A steroid vitamin which promotes the intestinal absorption and metabolism of ca...

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