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.
PCSK9 inhibitor
A class of injectable medications that dramatically lower LDL cholesterol levels.
percent stenosis
Quantitative measure of coronary artery narrowing expressed as percentage diameter reduction compared to normal vessel c...
pericoronary adipose tissue
Fat tissue immediately surrounding coronary arteries that may influence local vascular inflammation and atherosclerosis.
pleiotropic effects
Additional cardiovascular benefits of medications beyond their primary mechanism of action, particularly referring to st...
polypill
Single combination medication containing multiple cardiovascular drugs to improve adherence and simplify prevention ther...
polyvascular disease
Atherosclerotic disease affecting multiple vascular territories simultaneously, indicating systemic atherothrombosis.
pooled cohort equations
Statistical models used to estimate 10-year cardiovascular disease risk in adults.
primary prevention
Interventions to prevent cardiovascular disease in individuals without established disease.
pulse wave velocity
Non-invasive measurement of arterial stiffness used as a marker of cardiovascular risk and subclinical atherosclerosis.
QRISK3
UK cardiovascular risk prediction tool that incorporates additional risk factors including ethnicity, chronic kidney dis...
remnant cholesterol
Cholesterol carried in triglyceride-rich lipoprotein remnants, calculated as total cholesterol minus LDL and HDL cholest...
residual cardiovascular risk
Persistent elevated risk of cardiovascular events despite optimal management of traditional risk factors.
risk-enhancing factors
Additional clinical factors that may warrant more intensive cardiovascular risk reduction when traditional risk assessme...
SCORE2
European cardiovascular risk prediction algorithm that estimates 10-year risk of fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular even...
secondary prevention
Interventions to prevent recurrent cardiovascular events in patients with established disease.
shared decision-making
A collaborative process between clinician and patient for cardiovascular treatment decisions, incorporating patient valu...
statin benefit group
A classification system identifying patient populations who derive clear cardiovascular benefit from statin therapy base...
statin benefit groups
Clinical categories of patients most likely to benefit from statin therapy based on evidence from randomized controlled...
statin intolerance
Inability to tolerate statin therapy due to adverse effects or drug interactions.
statin-associated muscle symptoms
Muscle-related adverse effects attributed to statin therapy, ranging from mild myalgia to severe rhabdomyolysis, requiri...
statin-associated myalgia
Muscle pain or weakness attributed to statin therapy without significant elevation in creatine kinase levels.
subclinical atherosclerosis
Early atherosclerotic disease detected by imaging or laboratory tests in patients without overt cardiovascular symptoms,...
target organ damage
Structural or functional abnormalities in organs particularly susceptible to cardiovascular risk factors, indicating est...
therapeutic equivalence
Clinical concept that different medications or treatment approaches provide similar cardiovascular benefits and can be u...