blood vessel diseases

atherosclerosis

buildup of yellow fatty plaque on the walls of arteries most common cause of heart attacks

arteriosclerosis

hardening and loss of elasticity of artery walls major cause of hypertension

aneurysm

ballooning out of the wall of a blood vessel usually an artery can rupture causing massive hemorrhage

thrombus

internal blood clot that forms inside a blood vessel or heart

embolus

foreign material carried through the bloodstream that suddenly blocks a vessel

cerebrovascular accident (CVA)

stroke caused by damaged or blocked blood vessels in the brain

thrombophlebitis

inflammation of a vein associated with a blood clot most commonly in the legs

varicose veins

swollen and knotted veins most commonly occurring in the legs also called varicosities

hemorrhoids

dilated varicose veins in the anal canal causing pain itching and bleeding

vasodilation

increase in diameter of blood vessels causing decrease in blood pressure

vasoconstriction

decrease in diameter of blood vessels causing increase in blood pressure

bradycardia

abnormally slow heart rate below 60 beats per minute

tachycardia

abnormally fast heart rate above 100 beats per minute

polyarteritis

inflammation of many arteries leading to reduced blood flow

aortic stenosis

narrowing of the aortic valve restricting blood flow from the left ventricle to the aorta

arteritis

inflammation of an artery

phlebitis

inflammation of a vein

venous thrombosis

blood clot that forms in a vein most commonly in the legs can be life threatening if it travels to the lungs

coronary thrombosis

blood clot that forms in a coronary artery most common cause of myocardial infarction

hemangioma

benign tumor consisting principally of blood vessels

hemorrhage

loss of a large amount of blood in a short period of time can be caused by a ruptured aneurysm or injury