Cardiovascular System
Pathology
Medical Terminology
Chapter 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 tricuspid
stenosis
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