Disclaimer

  This glossary explains many terms related to heart issues. Our aim is to help inform readers of the meanings and uses of various terms. The contents are not advice, and the BCPA and the author cannot accept any responsibility. The choices of what terms are included are somewhat arbitrary - including terms on prevention, diagnosis, symptoms, treatment, rehabilitation, and research.
  For ease of English style, we have sometimes used 'you' to mean the patient or carer, as well as the reader.

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Abbreviations	ACE inhibitor	Alcohol	Angina*	Angiogram	Aortic stenosis	Aspirin
Atrial Fibrillation*	Betablocker	Blood Pressure	Body Mass Index	Brand names & index	CABG*	Calcium channel blockers
Cardiac	Coronary Heart Disease (CHD)	Cheeses - Fat content*	Cholesterol	Consent*	Coronary Angiography and Angioplasty*	Coronary arteries
Diabetes	Diet*	Drug	ECG* Electrocardiogram	Echocardiogram*	Event Monitoring*	Exercise
Exercise after heart attacks*	Fats	Fat content of cheeses*	First aid	Glycaemic Index (GI)	Heart	Heart attacks & exercise afterwards*
Hypertension - High Blood Pressure*	Hypothermia	BCPA Journal & index	Medicines - storing	Metabolism	Minerals	MRSA
Nitrates	Pacemaker*	Pain	Protein	Pulmonary	Recipes index	Risk
Salt	Side effect	Smoking - Benefits of stopping*	Statin	Stent	Stress	Stroke
TAVI	Ultrasound	Valve	Valve surgery & Valvuloplasty*	Ventricle	Vitamins	Waist-to-hip ratio

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Copyright

This information was created and edited by Richard Maddison for the BCPA.
Copyright © 1997-2013 The British Cardiac Patients Association, and/or Richard Maddison.
BCPA Head Office: 15 Abbey Road, Bingham, Nottingham NG13 8EE
Reg Charity 289190. Email:

First published in this form 2002, and updated 2005, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013.
All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without written permission from the BCPA Head Office.

We give permission for copies to be stored and made within the BCPA and any UK hospital; and these hospitals may give printed but not electronic copies to patients provided the source and copyright is acknowledged on the copies - eg include the page footer.

Authors, sources and acknowledgements

The main sources are BCPA Journal published articles, other information from authors, and publicly available documents and websites. In many cases the journal articles give sources and further information than the Glossary entries.

Parts of the wordings under ECG and Echocardiogram are adapted with permission from BUPA's health information resources, available at www.bupa.co.uk/health-information.

We hope we have thanked everyone.

Richard Maddison