Pulmonary Hypertension Glossary of Terms

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

Apnea: The absence of breathing (respiration).

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

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

Asymptomatic: Without symptoms. For example, an asymptomatic infection is an infection wit...

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...

Breathing: The process of respiration, during which air is inhaled into the lungs through ...

Bronchitis: Inflammation and swelling of the bronchi. Bronchitis can be acute or chronic.

Calcium: A mineral found mainly in the hard part of bones, where it is stored. Calcium is ...

Catheter: A thin, flexible tube.

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...

Chronic: In medicine, lasting a long time. A chronic condition is one that lasts 3 months ...

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: COPD. Any disorder that persistently obstructs bron...

Clavicle: The bone extending from the breastbone (sternum) at the base of the front of the...

Cocaine: A substance derived from the leaves of the coca plant that is a bitter, addictive...

Compression: 1. The act of pressing together. As in a compression fracture, nerve c...

Congestive heart failure: Inability of the heart to keep up with the demands on it, with f...

COPD: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Any disorder that persistently obstructs bron...

Cough: A rapid expulsion of air from the lungs, typically in order to clear the lung airwa...

CT scan: Computerized tomography scan. Pictures of structures within the body created by a...

Cure: 1. To heal, to make well, to restore to good health. 2. A time withou...

Cystic fibrosis: A common grave genetic disease that affects the exocrine glands and is ch...

Diagnosis: 1 The nature of a disease; the identification of an illness. 2 A ...

Dilate: To stretch or enlarge. Also known as dilatate.

Dizziness: Painless head discomfort with many possible causes including disturbances of ...

ECG: Electrocardiogram.

Edema: The swelling of soft tissues as a result of excess fluid accumulation. Edema is oft...

Electrocardiogram: A recording of the electrical activity of the heart. Abbreviated ECG an...

Emphysema: 1) A lung condition featuring an abnormal accumulation of air in the lung's ma...

Familial: A condition that tends to occur more often in family members than is expected by...

Fatigue: A condition characterized by a lessened capacity for work and reduced efficiency ...

FDA: Food and Drug Administration.

Femoral: Having to do with the femur.

Femoral vein: The large vein in the groin that passes with the femoral artery under the in...

Genetic: Having to do with genes and genetic
information.

Groin: The area where the thigh meets the hip.

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

Heart failure: Inability of the heart to keep up with the demands on it and, specifically...

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

Hypoxia: A lower-than-normal concentration of oxygen in arterial blood, as opposed to anox...

Idiopathic: Of unknown cause. Any disease that is of uncertain or unknown origin may be te...

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

Leg: In popular usage, the part of the body from the top of the thigh down to the foot, an...

Lethargy: Abnormal drowsiness, stupor.

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

Liver disease: Liver disease refers to any disorder of the liver. The liver is a large org...

Lungs: The lungs are a pair of breathing organs located with the chest which remove carbon...

Lupus: A chronic inflammatory disease that is caused by autoimmunity. Patients with lupus ...

Medical history: 1. In clinical medicine, the patient's past and present which may ...

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

Mutation: A permanent change, a structural alteration, in the DNA or RNA. In humans and m...

Oxygen: The odorless gas that is present in the air and necessary to maintain life. Oxygen...

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

Prevalence: The proportion of individuals in a population having a disease or characterist...

Pulmonary: Having to do with the lungs.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension: See: Pulmonary hypertension.

Pulmonary artery: One of the two vessels which are formed as terminal branches of the pulm...

Pulmonary hypertension: High blood pressure in the pulmonary arteries. This elevated blood...

Recurrent: Appearing or occurring again. For example, a recurrent fever is a fever that ha...

Resistance: Opposition to something, or the ability to withstand something. For example, s...

Rheumatoid arthritis: An autoimmune disease characterized by chronic inflammation of joint...

Rheumatologist: A specialist in the non-surgical treatment of rheumatic illnesses, espec...

Right heart: The right atrium and right ventricle.

Scan: As a noun, the data or image obtained from the examination of organs or regions of...

Scleroderma: A disease of connective tissue that causes scar tissue (fibrosis) to form in ...

Sclerosis: Localized hardening of skin. Sclerosis is generally caused by underlying diseas...

Shortness of breath: Difficulty in breathing. Medically referred to as dyspnea. Shortness ...

Sleep: The body's rest cycle.

Sleep apnea: The temporary stoppage of breathing during sleep, often resulting in daytime ...

Sporadic: Occurring upon occasion or in a scattered, isolated, or seemingly random way.

Stage: As regards cancer, the extent of a cancer, especially whether the disease has spre...

Subclavian: Under the clavicle (the collar bone), as the subclavian artery or the subclav...

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

Systemic: Affecting the entire body. A systemic disease such as diabetes can affect the wh...

Systolic: The blood pressure when the heart is contracting. It is specifically the maximum...

Ultrasound: High-frequency sound waves. Ultra-sound waves can be bounced off tissues by us...

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 ...

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

X-ray: High-energy radiation with waves shorter than those of visible light. X-ray is used...