Cardiovascular System Pathology

Medical TerminologyChapter 5

Atheroma

ather/o = plaque -oma = tumor

Plaque within the arterial wall

Atherosclerosis athero = fatty

plaque sclerosis =

abnormal hardening

Hardening & narrowing of arteries due to a buildup of cholesterol plaque

Angina pectoris

Severe episodes of spasmodic choking chest pain

Ischemia

Deficiency of blood supply due to constriction or obstruction of blood vessels

Infarct

Localized area of necrosis caused by an interruption of blood supply

Myocardial infarction (MI) Heart attack Closing off of a

coronary artery resulting in an infarct of the affected myocardium

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

Congestive heart failure (CHF) Heart is unable to

pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs; leads to fluid accumulation in legs, lungs

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

Valvulitis valvul/o = valve -itis = inflammation

Mitral valve prolapse

Protrusion of the mitral valve thus incomplete closure of the valve

Mitral stenosis

Abnormal narrowing of the mitral valve

also tricuspidstenosis

Arrhythmia or dysrhythmia

Irregular rhythm of the heart

Bradycardia

brady = slow card = heart -ia = abnormal condition

Abnormally slow heartbeat

Flutter

Atrial contractions are rapid but regular

Tachycardia

tachy = fast card = heart -ia = abnormal condition

Abnormally fast heart rate

Paroxysmal tachycardia

Sudden onset of fast heartbeat

Fibrillation

Rapid, random, & ineffective heart contractions Atrial fibrillation (A-fib): atria faster

than ventricles Ventricular fibrillation (V-fib): fatal

unless reversed by electric defibrillation

Angi/o = vessel

Angiitis or vasculitis Angionecrosis Angiospasm Angiostenosis

Hemangioma hemangi/o =

blood vessel -oma = tumor

benign tumor of blood vessels

Hypoperfusion

Deficiency of blood passing through an organ or body part

Aneurysm

Localized balloon like enlargement of the wall of an artery

Arter/o, arteri/o = artery

Arteritis Polyarteritis Arteriosclerosis

Raynaud’s phenomenon Intermittent

attacks of pallor, cyanosis, & redness of fingers & toes secondary to arterial contraction & caused by cold or emotion

Phlebitis phleb/o = vein -itis =

inflammation

Inflammation of a vein

Varicose veins Abnormally

swollen veins usually occurring in the legs

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

Thrombotic occlusion

Blocking of an artery by a clot

Coronary thrombosis Damage to the

heart caused by a thrombus blocking a coronary artery

Embolism Blockage of a

vessel by an embolus

Hemochromatosis(iron overload disease)

Hem/o = blood Chromat/o = color -osis = abnormal condition

Genetic disorder in which intestines absorb too much iron

Septicemia (blood poisoning)

Presence of pathogenic microorganisms or their toxins in the blood

Cholesterol

Lipids that travel in the blood stream as lipoproteins Low density lipoprotein (LDL): bad

cholesterol; excess contribute to plaque buildup

HDL: good cholesterol

-penia = deficiency of

Leukopenia Thrombocytopenia

Erythrocytosis

erythr/o = red cyt/o = cell -osis = abnormal condition

Abnormal increase in number of RBCs

Leukemia

leuk/o = white -emia = blood condition

Malignancy with progressive increase of abnormal leukocytes

Anemia

an- = without or less than -emia = blood condition

Lower than normal numbers of RBCs

Aplastic anemia

Absence of all formed blood elements due to failure of blood cell production in bone marrow

Hemolytic anemia

hem/o = blood -lytic = to destroy

Blood cells destroyed faster than bone marrow can replace them

Megaloblastic anemia

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

Pernicious anemia

RBCs are abnormally formed due to an inability to absorb Vitamin B12

Sickle cell anemia

Genetic disorder that causes abnormal hemoglobin & RBCs have a sickle shape

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