| Angina | Chest pain caused by a reduced blood supply to the heart, often brought on by exercise. |
| Arrhythmia | Abnormal heart rhythms. |
| Arteries | Blood vessels which carry blood away from the heart. |
| Atheromatous Plaque | A build-up of fatty deposits in the walls of arteries, causing the arteries to narrow and restrict the blood supply to vital organs. |
| Atherosclerosis | The process in which atheromatous plaques develop within the arterial walls. |
| Bile acids | Aid in the digestion and absorption of dietary fats. Bile acid is produced by the liver and secreted into the intestine. It contains cholesterol and important digestive particles called bile salts. |
| Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) | General term used to describe disorders affecting the heart and/or blood vessels. The main cause of CVD is atherosclerosis. CVD includes coronary heart disease (CHD), cerebrovascular disease (CBVD) and peripheral vascular disease (PVD). |
| Cardiovascular risk factor | Anything that increases the chance of an individual developing CVD. These may be modifiable: things or behaviours that a person can change (e.g. smoking) or non-modifiable: things that a person cannot change (e.g. age, family history). |
| Cerebrovascular accident | Injury or death to parts of the brain caused by an interruption in the blood supply to that area causing disability (e.g. paralysis or speech impairment). Also known as stroke. |
| Cerebrovascular Disease (CBVD) | A type of CVD caused by the reduction in blood supply to the brain. Includes stroke and transient ischaemic attacks. |
| Cholesterol | A soft, waxy substance found in all cells of the human body. Cholesterol is a type of lipid (fat) vital for the production of bile acids, hormones and vitamin D. Raised levels of cholesterol can lead to atherosclerosis. |
| Coronary arteries | Arteries that supply oxygenated blood to the heart muscle. |
| Coronary heart disease (CHD) | A type of CVD caused by atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries, leading to a reduced blood supply to the heart muscle. This can result in myocardial infarction, also known as heart attack, or chest pain of heart origin, known as angina. |
| Diabetes Mellitus | A disorder caused by disturbance of the normal action of insulin (a hormone responsible for lowering blood sugar) and characterised by high blood sugar levels. |
| Dyslipidaemia | A disorder in which blood lipid levels are abnormal. Dyslipidaemia is the main cause of atherosclerosis. |
| Endogenous Pathway | Refers to the body’s process for the synthesis of cholesterol and triglycerides in the liver. |
| Enzyme | A molecule causing specific biochemical reactions in the body. |
| Ester | A general term for any organic molecule produced by combining an acid with an alcohol. |
| Exogenous Pathway | Refers to the absorption from the intestine of lipids contained in foods in the diet. |
| Fibrates | The oldest class of lipid-lowering drugs which are particularly effective in treating high triglyceride levels (e.g.bezafibrate, fenofibrate, gemfibrozil). |
| Framingham Study | A study identifying risk factors for coronary heart disease (CHD). The study found that the likelihood of future CHD was increased in those individuals who had raised cholesterol or raised blood pressure or who smoked. Multiple risk factors had a far greater impact on CHD risk than individual risk factors. |
| Frederickson Classification | A classification system for identifying the different types of dyslipidaemias. |
| Global (or total) cardiovascular risk assessment | The overall cardiovascular risk profile for an individual, taking into account both their modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors. |
| Gold standard therapy | A preferred drug for the treatment of a disease, usually with the best overall profile compared with other drugs. |
| HDL - cholesterol | Also known as ‘good’ cholesterol, as it removes cholesterol present in the tissues and returns it to the liver for excretion. Therefore, may protect against the build up of cholesterol in the arteries. |
| HMG-CoA reductase | A key enzyme involved in the manufacture of cholesterol. |
| HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor | See statins. |
| 3-Hydroxy-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase | Unabbreviated chemical name for HMG-CoA reductase – the enzyme involved in the manufacture of cholesterol. |
| Hypertension | Raised blood pressure. |
| Intermittent claudication | An aching or cramping pain, typically in the leg muscles, seen during exercise. It is caused by inadequate blood and oxygen supply to the muscles as a result of atherosclerosis. |
| Ischaemia | An insufficient supply of blood, depriving vital organs of oxygen and vital nutrients. |
| LDL-cholesterol | Also known as ‘bad’ cholesterol, as it carries cholesterol from the gut and liver to the blood vessels supplying the tissues where it can build up in the artery walls and cause atherosclerosis. |
| LDL receptors | An area on a cell that specifically binds to LDL-cholesterol. |
| Lipids | Fat, or fat-like substances, which are insoluble in water. |
| Lipid modifying therapy | Drugs used in the management of dyslipidaemia which usually reduce the level of LDL-cholesterol in the blood. |
| Lipoproteins | Water-soluble proteins, enabling cholesterol and triglycerides to be transported in the blood from the liver and intestine to other tissues. |
| Modifiable risk factor | A risk factor that can be changed, e.g. a behaviour such as smoking. |
| Morbidity | A disease, condition or state. |
| Mortality | Death. |
| Multicentre | Term given to a clinical study that is carried out in a number of research centres simultaneously (nationally or internationally). |
| Myocardial Infarction (MI) | Also known as a heart attack, leading to death of part of the heart muscle caused by a total block of blood supply to that area. In severe cases, MI can lead to sudden death. |
| Myocardium | The heart muscle. |
| Nicotinic acid | Also known as Niacin – a member of the vitamin B complex used as a lipid-lowering drug. |
| Non-modifiable risk factor | A risk factor that cannot be changed, e.g. gender. |
| Outcome | When referring to CVD, this is a term given to mean significant events – such as heart attacks, strokes or sudden death – measured within long-term, major clinical studies. |
| Peripheral Vascular Disease (PVD) | A type of CVD caused by atherosclerosis of the arteries to the limbs, reducing the blood supply and therefore depriving the limb muscles of oxygen. |
| Placebo-control | Term used to describe a study in which the effects of a treatment are compared with the effects of a placebo (dummy treatment) in a similar number of patients. |
| Plaque | See atheromatous plaque. |
| Primary Prevention | Prevention of the development of CVD in patients who are at high risk of developing disease, but do not have any signs of CVD at present. |
| Randomised | Term used to describe a study in which subjects are allocated randomly to the treatments being tested to ensure results are not biased. |
| Resins | Lipid-modifying drugs. They bind with bile acids in the gut, which results in an increase in LDL-receptors and a reduction in LDL-cholesterol levels. |
| Risk factor | Anything that increases the chance of developing of a condition. |
| Secondary prevention | Prevention of further cardiovascular events (e.g. stroke or MI) in patients who have already had CVD-related events. |
| Secretion | The process whereby a substance is released by a tissue or organ of the body. |
| Synthesis | The manufacture of one substance through a biochemical process, involving other substances. |
| Starting dose | The dose of a medicine for a patient starting treatment for the first time. |
| Statins | Drugs which inhibit the action of the enzyme HMG-CoA reductase, blocking the manufacture of cholesterol in the body, mainly the liver. They are considered the gold standard therapy and are the most widely prescribed lipid-modifying drugs. |
| Stroke | Injury or death to parts of the brain caused by a significant period of interruption in the blood supply to that area. This leads to some degree of permanent disability (e.g. paralysis or speech impairment). |
| Systolic blood pressure | The blood pressure when the heart is contracting. |
| Titrate | To gradually increase (or decrease) the dose of a drug. |
| Toxins | Irritating or poisonous substances e.g. toxins inhaled from smoking. |
| Transient ischaemic attack (TIA) | A temporary reduction in oxygen supply to the brain. It can cause temporary symptoms such as dizziness, slurred speech and weakness or numbness on one side of the body. It normally resolves completely. |
| Triglyceride | Lipids which are stored in the body in layers of fat, often around vital organs. Raised levels of triglycerides are thought to contribute to atherosclerosis. |
