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Information and advice on heart conditions & stroke disease, everything from prevention to illness for your wellbeing.
Read our glossary of related words with definitions by clicking on the alphabet below.
Heart Index - P
Palpitations
Sensation of an irregular heartbeat; it may be felt as a skipped heartbeat or a momentary cessation.
Platelets
Minute particles present in the blood of vertebrates and involved in the clotting of blood.
Progestin
A group of steroid hormones with progesterone-like activity to prepare and maintain the uterus in females for pregnancy.
Pulmonary stenosis
Abnormal narrowing of the pulmonary valve. It may arise as a congenital heart defect.
Pulmonary veins
The veins that carry oxygen-rich blood from the lungs back to the left side of the heart.
Pericardium
A membranous sac which encloses the heart.
Polyunsaturated fat
A type of animal and vegetable fat usually found in foods from plants and fish, which helps decrease LDL (bad) cholesterol. It is also less likely to be converted into cholesterol in the body.
Pulmonary arteries
The arteries that carry deoxygenated blood from the right side of the heart to the lungs for oxygenation.
Pulmonary valve
The valve between the pulmonary artery and the right ventricle.
