|
Glossary
P
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Placebo |
A dummy drug usually used as a control during medical studies and trials. |
| Placebo effect |
When a patient believes they have received a helpful treatment and feels better, even though they have received a dummy pill or sham treatment.. |
| Plant sterols and stanols |
Vegetable fats, found in soybeans, pine-tree oils, sesame, corn, sunflower, and canola oils, sesame seeds and sunflower seeds, peanuts, rice bran, green peas. They have been shown to lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and are sometimes added to foods such as commercial margarines. |
| Plaque |
The buildup of fatty deposits such as lipids, cholesterol, calcium, and other materials on the inner walls of blood vessels. The buildup of plaque contributes to atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease, and stroke. See also Stable plaque and Unstable Plaque. |
| Plaque erosion |
Some fatty plaques break down rather than rupture within an artery. Although not well understood, erosions can trigger formation of blood clots and lead to heart attacks. |
| Plaque rupture |
When a fatty plaque bursts and bleeds into an artery. A blood clot may develop, blocking the blood flow completely and causing a heart attack. |
| Plasma |
The pale yellow fluid in the blood. |
| Platelet |
The smallest blood cells responsible for clotting. Also known as thrombocytes. |
| Platelet scintigraphy |
A test using a radioactive tracer that is used in the diagnosis and treatment of deep-vein thrombosis. |
| plethysmography |
a diagnostic test for vein disease that uses an air cuff or a light sensor to measure changes in blood volume as your veins fill and empty; plethysmography of the arteries is called pulse volume recording |
| Pleura |
The layers of the membrane that line both the lungs and chest cavity. |
| Pleural effusion |
An accumulation of excess fluid between the pleura, the layers of the membrane that line both the lungs and chest cavity. |
| Polycystic ovary syndrome |
A hormonal imbalance in women of childbearing age that results in high levels of male hormones (androgens) affecting the menstrual cycle, fertility, insulin production, the heart and blood vessels, and appearance. |
| Polyphenols |
Antioxidant compounds found in fruits and vegetables, wine, dark chocolate, and coffee that may have heart healthy effects. |
| Polyunsaturated fats |
Fats found in canola, corn, safflower, and sunflower oils. When polyunsaturated fats are substituted for saturated fats, cholesterol levels improve. |
