Hypertension

Items

• Afterload

  The amount of pressure the heart needs to exert to eject blood during ventricular contraction; recorded as systolic pressure; affects stroke volume and ventricular pressures.
• Aneurysm

  Excessive localized swelling of the wall of an artery.
• Angina

  Severe chest pain due to inadequate blood supply to the heart, often radiating to shoulders, arms, and neck.
• Aorta

  Main artery supplying oxygenated blood from the heart to the body.
• Arteriosclerosis

  Thickening and hardening of artery walls, usually with aging, reducing elasticity.
• Artery

  Blood vessel that carries blood through the body.
• Asymptomatic

  Having a disease or condition but showing no symptoms.
• Atherosclerosis

  Disease caused by fatty deposits in artery walls.
• Atria

  Two upper chambers of the heart that receive blood.
• Blood clot

  Gel-like mass formed from coagulated blood.
• Blood vessel

  Tube carrying blood in the body (arteries, veins, capillaries).
• Blood vessel constriction

  Narrowing of blood vessels due to muscle contraction.
• Carbon

  Chemical element (atomic number 6) found in many forms.
• Cachexia

  Severe weight and muscle loss due to illness.
• Cardiac cycle

  Sequence of heart contraction and relaxation.
• Cardiac output

  Amount of blood pumped by the heart per minute.
• Cerebrovascular accident

  Stroke caused by loss of blood flow to brain.
• Circulation

  Movement of blood through the body.
• Congestive heart failure

  Heart’s inability to pump blood effectively.
• Coronary artery disease

  Narrowing of arteries supplying the heart.
• Diastole

  Heart relaxation phase.
• Embolus

  Blood clot moving through circulation.
• Fatty acids

  Building blocks of fats.
• Heart contraction

  Electrical-driven contraction of heart muscle.
• Heart failure

  Reduced ability of heart to pump or fill with blood.