- aldosterone
- a hormone made in the adrenal cortex that helps to control the balance of water and salts in the kidneys, retaining sodium and releasing potassium from the body
- angina
- chest discomfort in the front of the chest, neck, shoulders, jaw, or arms that is precipitated by physical exertions and relieved by rest or sublingual nitrates
- angiotensin I
- a protein in blood that promotes aldosterone secretion and raises blood pressure
- angiotensin II
- a protein in the blood that causes the muscular walls of the arterioles to constrict and narrow, thereby increasing blood pressure
- angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB)
- a classification of drug that binds to and inhibits angiotensin II type I receptors
- angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor
- a classification of drug that blocks the body’s production of angiotensin II; the protein that causes vasoconstriction and inhibits the reuptake of norepinephrine, which stimulates catecholamine release
- antianginal drugs
- drugs used in the treatment of angina
- antihypertensive drugs
- drugs used in the treatment of hypertension
- beta-adrenergic blocker
- a classification of drug that inhibits chronotropic, inotropic, and vasoconstrictor response to catecholamine, epinephrine, and norepinephrine by exerting effects on adrenergic receptors beta 1, beta 2, and alpha.
- calcium channel blocker
- a classification of drug that blocks calcium from entering cells by binding to long-acting voltage-gated calcium channels in the heart, smooth muscle, and pancreas
- cardiac output
- the product of the heart rate and stroke volume; the volume of blood pumped by the heart per unit of time, usually measured in liters per minute
- diastolic blood pressure
- indicates how much pressure the blood is exerting against artery walls while the heart is resting between beats; the second number of a blood pressure reading
- diuretic
- a classification of drug that induces sodium loss and increases urine flow; typically used to treat hypertension, heart failure, and volume overload states
- heart rate
- the number of times each minute the heart beats
- hypertension
- when an individual’s blood pressure is above the normal limits for a sustained period of time
- hypotension
- when an individual’s blood pressure is below the normal limits for a sustained period of time
- nitrate
- a classification of drug that causes vasodilation of blood vessels by imparting nitric oxide, which relaxes smooth muscles
- peripheral vascular resistance
- determined by blood flow in the body and the level of constriction or dilatation within the vessels
- renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS)
- a compensatory mechanism the body activates during hypotension (when the blood pressure is low)
- stroke volume
- the volume of blood pumped out of the left ventricle of the heart during each systolic cardiac contraction
- systolic blood pressure
- indicates how much pressure the blood is exerting against the artery walls when the heart beats; the first number of a blood pressure reading
- vasopressin
- an antidiuretic hormone that regulates blood pressure, blood osmolality, and blood volume