Preventive Cardiology Glossary
100 terms total — 24 showing — Last updated 15 Sep 2026
polypill
Single combination medication containing multiple cardiovascular drugs to improve adherence and simplify prevention therapy.
chronotropic incompetence
Impaired ability of the heart rate to increase appropriately during physical or pharmacological stress.
coronary artery calcium score
A CT-derived measurement quantifying calcium deposits in coronary arteries.
coronary artery disease equivalents
Clinical conditions that confer cardiovascular risk comparable to established coronary artery disease, warranting simila...
coronary calcium density
A measurement that quantifies the intensity of calcium deposits in coronary arteries, typically expressed in Hounsfield...
coronary flow reserve
The ratio of maximal coronary blood flow during pharmacologic vasodilation to resting coronary blood flow.
coronary flow velocity reserve
Ratio of hyperemic to resting coronary flow velocity measured by Doppler echocardiography to assess coronary microvascul...
coronary heart disease equivalents
Medical conditions that confer a cardiovascular risk similar to having established coronary artery disease, warranting i...
coronary microvascular disease
Dysfunction of small coronary arteries causing angina symptoms despite normal epicardial coronary arteries.
coronary microvascular dysfunction
Impaired function of coronary arterioles and capillaries causing ischemia without obstructive epicardial disease.
coronary revascularization
Surgical or percutaneous procedures to restore blood flow to ischemic myocardium through bypass grafting or angioplasty...
dual antiplatelet therapy
Combination of aspirin with a P2Y12 receptor inhibitor used to prevent thrombotic events in high-risk cardiovascular pat...
Duke treadmill score
Risk stratification tool combining exercise duration, ST depression, and angina symptoms from treadmill stress testing.
endothelial dysfunction
Impaired function of the blood vessel lining that represents an early stage of atherosclerosis, characterized by reduced...
epicardial adipose tissue
Visceral fat located between the myocardium and visceral pericardium, directly surrounding coronary arteries.
ESC/EAS guidelines
Joint clinical practice guidelines from the European Society of Cardiology and European Atherosclerosis Society for dysl...
exercise prescription
A structured, individualized plan specifying type, intensity, duration, and frequency of physical activity for cardiovas...
exercise stress testing
A diagnostic procedure that evaluates cardiovascular response to physical exertion, used to detect coronary artery disea...
ezetimibe
Cholesterol absorption inhibitor that blocks dietary and biliary cholesterol uptake in the small intestine.
familial hypercholesterolemia
A genetic disorder characterized by severely elevated LDL cholesterol from birth.
fractional flow reserve
Physiological measurement of coronary stenosis significance using pressure wire assessment during cardiac catheterizatio...
framingham risk score
A widely-used algorithm that calculates the 10-year risk of cardiovascular events based on traditional risk factors incl...
HDL functionality
The qualitative assessment of HDL cholesterol's protective functions beyond its quantitative measurement.
heart rate recovery
Decrease in heart rate during the first minute after peak exercise, used as a prognostic marker.
high-sensitivity C-reactive protein
A biomarker of systemic inflammation associated with cardiovascular risk.