Glossary

Anaemia
Health problem which manifests by a reduction in the quality or quantity of red blood cells (cells which transport oxygen in the blood)

Anticoagulants
Medicines which prevent or delay the formation of blood clots

Atherosclerosis
Disorder characterised by the thickening, hardening and loss of elasticity of the artery walls

Bio-active
Biological activity on the coagulation and wound healing processes

Blood clot
Aggregate of different blood cells – platelets, red blood cells, white blood cells – bound together by a protein called fibrin

Coagulation factors
Substances which are involved in the blood clotting mechanism, i.e. in the blood solidification process (clot formation)

Corticoids
Medicines intended to treat inflammation, pain and oedema

Diabetes
Chronic disease characterised by high blood sugar levels

Haemophilia
Hereditary disease characterised by delayed blood clotting caused by the absence of certain coagulation factors

Haemostasis
Physiological process which leads to the formation of blood clots

Hereditary haemorrhagic telangiectasia (Rendu-Osler-Weber disease)
Hereditary disease which affects blood vessels and results notably in recurrent bleeding

Kiesselbach’s plexus
Highly vascularised area located on the anterior part of the nose

Nasal fossae
Nasal cavities

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAI)
Broad class of medicines, which contains many molecules such as ibuprofen. They act by blocking the formation of prostaglandins, the substances responsible for inflammation

Platelet aggregation
Part of the sequence of events leading to the formation of a thrombus (blood clot)

Platelet aggregation inhibitors
Medicines which impede platelet aggregation

Skin tissues
Skin components (epidermis, dermis, hypodermis)

Undernutrition
Disease resulting from insufficient nutritional intake, particularly in proteins

Venous arterial insufficiency
Disorders of blood circulation in the veins or arteries

Vitamin K antagonist (VKA)
One of two classes of oral anticoagulants which prevent or delay the formation of blood clots

Von Willebrand disease
Hereditary haemorrhagic disease caused by a deficiency of Von Willebrand factor, one of the key proteins of platelet aggregation and coagulation