GEN 195 – Living Science Health and You
Lesson 2.2A Cardiovascular Disease
Activity 1: Glossary of Cardiovascular Disease
1. Blood vessel: carry blood to and from the heart
2. Artery: carries oxygen rich blood from the heart to all the organs of the body
3. Vein: carries oxygen poor blood from all the organs of the body back to the heart
4. Pulse: heart beat
5. Heart rate: the rate at which the heart beats
6. Cardiovascular disease (CVD): diseases of the blood and blood vessels
7. Atherosclerosis: hardening of the walls of the arteries due to plaque formation
8. Plaque: substance made up of fat, cholesterol and other things that sits in the arteries
and with time hardens.
Plaque formation is dangerous for two reasons: 1. It can reduce the blood flow to
different organs of the body and stop them from functioning properly .2. If a plaque
ruptures (tears), it can lead to formation of a blood clot that blocks the blood supply to
the:
a. heart – leading to a heart attack, or
b. brain – leading to a stroke
9. Blood Clot: when blood coagulates. Blood clots normally form close to where plaque
ruptures. Blood clots can lead to heart attack or stroke
10. Cholesterol: fat like substance found in all the cells of the body as well as inside blood. It
has many important functions in the body. The body makes all the cholesterol we need,
but it can also come from the food we eat. Animal products are the only sources of
cholesterol: meats, eggs, dairy products.
11. HDL: good cholesterol-carries harmful cholesterol out from the Arteries. Exercising is a
way to increase HDL cholesterol
12. LDL: bad cholesterol- high levels can lead to plaque formation. Eating too much saturated
fat and cholesterol containing foods can lead to high levels of LDL in the blood.