1. Cardiovascular System Pathology
Medical Terminology
Chapter 5

2. Atheroma
ather/o = plaque
-oma = tumor
Plaque within the arterial wall

3. Atherosclerosis athero = fatty plaque sclerosis = abnormal hardening
Hardening & narrowing of arteries due to a buildup of cholesterol plaque

4. Angina pectoris
Severe episodes of spasmodic choking chest pain

5. Ischemia
Deficiency of blood supply due to constriction or obstruction of blood vessels

6. Infarct
Localized area of necrosis caused by an interruption of blood supply

7. Myocardial infarction (MI)
Heart attack
Closing off of a coronary artery resulting in an infarct of the affected myocardium

8. Coronary artery disease (CAD)
Atherosclerosis of coronary arteries that may cause angina, myocardial infarction & sudden death
End-stage CAD: final phase with severe angina & severely limited lifestyle

9. Congestive heart failure (CHF)
Heart is unable to pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs; leads to fluid accumulation in legs, lungs

10. Forms of Carditis
Endocarditis: inflammation of the inner layer of the heart
Bacterial endocarditis: inflammation of the lining or valves of heart caused by bacteria
Myocarditis: inflammation of the myocardium
Pericarditis: inflammation of the pericardium

11. Valvulitis
valvul/o = valve
-itis = inflammation

12. Mitral valve prolapse
Protrusion of the mitral valve thus incomplete closure of the valve

13. Mitral stenosis Abnormal narrowing of the mitral valve also tricuspid

14. Arrhythmia or dysrhythmia
Irregular rhythm of the heart

15. Bradycardia brady = slow card = heart -ia = abnormal condition
Abnormally slow heartbeat

16. Flutter
Atrial contractions are rapid but regular

17. Tachycardia tachy = fast card = heart -ia = abnormal condition
Abnormally fast heart rate

18. Paroxysmal tachycardia
Sudden onset of fast heartbeat

19. Fibrillation Rapid, random, & ineffective heart contractions
Atrial fibrillation (A-fib): atria faster than ventricles
Ventricular fibrillation (V-fib): fatal unless reversed by electric defibrillation

20. Angi/o = vessel Angiitis or vasculitis Angionecrosis Angiospasm
Angiostenosis

21. Hemangioma hemangi/o = blood vessel -oma = tumor
benign tumor of blood vessels

22. Hypoperfusion
Deficiency of blood passing through an organ or body part

23. Aneurysm
Localized balloon like enlargement of the wall of an artery

24. Arter/o, arteri/o = artery
Arteritis
Polyarteritis
Arteriosclerosis

25. Raynaud’s phenomenon
Intermittent attacks of pallor, cyanosis, & redness of fingers & toes secondary to arterial contraction & caused by cold or emotion

26. Phlebitis
phleb/o = vein
-itis = inflammation
Inflammation of a vein

27. Varicose veins
Abnormally swollen veins usually occurring in the legs

28. Thrombus & Embolus
Thrombus: blood clot attached to wall of a vein or artery
Embolus: foreign object, such as blood clot or tissue, that is circulating in blood stream

29. Thrombotic occlusion
Blocking of an artery by a clot

30. Coronary thrombosis
Damage to the heart caused by a thrombus blocking a coronary artery

31. Embolism
Blockage of a vessel by an embolus

32. Hemochromatosis (iron overload disease)
Hem/o = blood
Chromat/o = color
-osis = abnormal condition
Genetic disorder in which intestines absorb too much iron

33. Septicemia (blood poisoning)
Presence of pathogenic microorganisms or their toxins in the blood

34. Cholesterol Lipids that travel in the blood stream as lipoproteins
Low density lipoprotein (LDL): bad cholesterol; excess contribute to plaque buildup
HDL: good cholesterol

35. -penia = deficiency of
Leukopenia
Thrombocytopenia

36. Erythrocytosis erythr/o = red cyt/o = cell -osis = abnormal condition
Abnormal increase in number of RBCs

37. Leukemia leuk/o = white -emia = blood condition
Malignancy with progressive increase of abnormal leukocytes

38. Anemia an- = without or less than -emia = blood condition
Lower than normal numbers of RBCs

39. Aplastic anemia
Absence of all formed blood elements due to failure of blood cell production in bone marrow

40. Hemolytic anemia hem/o = blood -lytic = to destroy
Blood cells destroyed faster than bone marrow can replace them

41. Megaloblastic anemia
Bone marrow produces large abnormal RBCs with a reduced ability to transport oxygen; usually from a vitamin deficiency

42. Pernicious anemia
RBCs are abnormally formed due to an inability to absorb Vitamin B12

43. Sickle cell anemia
Genetic disorder that causes abnormal hemoglobin & RBCs have a sickle shape

44. Hypertension=high blood pressure
Essential or primary hypertension: unknown cause
Secondary hypertension: caused by a different medical problem such as kidney disease
Malignant hypertension: sudden onset of severely elevated blood pressure