Homocysteine Glossary of Terms

1. Heart Disease (Coronary Artery Disease) Slideshow Pictures
2. Medical Illustrations of the Heart Image Collection
3. Take the Heart Disease Quiz!

Abnormal: Outside the expected norm, or uncharacteristic of a particular patient.

Abruption: A sudden breaking off or away. Abruption of the placenta (abruptio placentae) i...

Alzheimer's disease: A progressive degenerative disease of the brain that leads to dementi...

Amino acids: The building blocks of polypeptides and proteins.

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

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-...

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

Blood clots: Blood that has been converted from a liquid to a solid state. Also called a t...

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

Body type: A somewhat old-fashioned term used to classify the human shape into three prima...

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...

Carotid artery: Either of the two key arteries located in the front of the neck, through w...

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

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

Cysteine: An amino acid, one of the 20 building blocks of protein. Cysteine can be synthes...

Deep vein thrombosis: A blood clot within a deep vein, typically in the thigh or leg. The ...

Dementia: Significant loss of intellectual abilities, such as memory capacity, that is sev...

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

Embolism: The obstruction of a blood vessel by a foreign substance or a blood clot that tr...

Enzymes: Proteins that act as a catalysts in mediating and speeding a specific chemical re...

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

Folic acid: One of the B vitamins that is a key factor in the synthesis (the making) of nu...

Genetic: Having to do with genes and genetic
information.

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...

Homocysteine: An amino acid that is produced by the human body, usually as a byproduct of ...

Homocystinuria: A genetic disease that is due to an enzyme deficiency that permits a build...

Iron: An essential mineral. Iron is necessary for the transport of oxygen (via hemoglobin ...

Lens: The transparent structure inside the eye that focuses light rays onto the retina.

Mental retardation: The condition of having an IQ measured as below 70 to 75 and significa...

Metabolic: Relating to metabolism, the whole range of biochemical processes that occur wit...

Metabolism: The whole range of biochemical processes that occur within a living organism. ...

Methionine: An amino acid, one of the 20 building blocks of protein. A dietary essential a...

Myopia: Nearsightedness, the ability to see close objects more clearly than distant objec...

Nearsightedness: The ability to see near objects more clearly than distant objects. Also ...

Neonatal: Pertaining to the newborn period, specifically the first 4 weeks after birth.

Placenta: A temporary organ that joins the mother and fetus, transferring oxygen and nutri...

Platelet: An irregular, disc-shaped element in the blood that assists in blood clotting....

Pre-eclampsia: A condition in pregnancy characterized by abrupt hypertension (a sharp rise...

Pregnancy: The state of carrying a developing embryo or fetus within the female body. Thi...

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

Proteins: Large molecules composed of one or more chains of amino acids in a specific orde...

Pulmonary: Having to do with the lungs.

Pulmonary embolism: Sudden closure of a pulmonary artery or one of its branches, caused by...

Pyridoxine: One of the vitamin B6 group (which also includes pyridoxal and pyridoxamine) t...

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

Thrombosis: The formation or presence of a blood clot in a blood vessel. The vessel may be...

Uncertainty: "Medicine's ground state is uncertainty. And wisdom -- for both patients and ...

Urine: Liquid waste produced by the kidneys. Urine is a clear, transparent fluid that norm...

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

Vein: A blood vessel that carries blood that is low in oxygen content from the body back t...

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

Vitamin B12: A vitamin important for the normal formation of red blood cells and the healt...

Vitamin B6: A group of closely related chemical compounds with related names -- pyridoxine...

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

Zinc: A mineral that is essential to the body and is a constituent of many enzymes that pe...