Statins Glossary of Terms

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

Abdominal: Relating to the abdomen, the belly, that part of the body that contains all of ...

Absorption: Uptake. For example, intestinal absorption is the uptake of food (or other sub...

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

Birth control: Birth control is the use of any practices, methods, or devices to prevent p...

Breastfeeding: Feeding a child human breast milk. According to the American Academy of Ped...

Capsule: Capsule has many meanings in medicine including the following:

1. In medici...

Cardiac: Having to do with the heart.

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

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

Constipation: Infrequent and frequently incomplete bowel movements. Constipation is the op...

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 ...

Herbal: 1. An adjective, referring to herbs, as in an herbal tea.
2. A...

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

Immune: Protected against infection, usually by the presence of antibodies.

Immune system: A complex system that is responsible for distinguishing a person from every...

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

Kidney: One of a pair of organs located in the right and left side of the abdomen. The kid...

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

Lipitor: See: Atorvastatin.

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

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...

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

Myopathy: Any and all diseases of muscle.

Nicotinic acid: Deficiency of nicotinic acid (also known as niacin), one of the B-complex ...

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

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

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

Pregnant: The state of carrying a developing fetus within the body.

Prescription: A physician's order for the preparation and administration of a drug or dev...

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

Rhabdomyolysis: A condition in which skeletal muscle is broken down, releasing muscle enzy...

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...

Statins: A class of drugs that lower cholesterol.

Stomach: The digestive organ that is located in the upper abdomen, under the ribs. The upp...

Stomach cramps: A nonmedical term most often used to describe pain in the mid- or upper ab...

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...

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

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

Warfarin: An anticoagulant drug (brand names: Coumarin, Panwarfin, Sofarin) taken to prev...

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