Anatomy, Arteries

Excerpt

Arteries make up a major part of the circulatory system, with the veins and heart being the other main components. Arteries make up tubelike structures responsible for transporting fluid (i.e., blood for the circulatory system and lymph for the lymphatic system) to and from every organ in the body. Mainly, arteries manage the transportation of oxygen, nutrients, and hormones through our bodies. Arteries can dispense fresh oxygen to the body after it gets loaded onto the Fe 2+ found in the center of hemoglobin. The oxygen binds to hemoglobin and is carried by the arteries to areas that lack oxygen. Through a shift in affinity for the oxygen, it is then unloaded to specific areas through high surface areas knowns as capillaries. Far from being a changeless structure, arteries adapt through signals received from the central nervous system, as they also react to an outer stimulus like pressure, temperature, and substances. Vascular nerves are responsible for innervating the arteries allowing them to change to their stimuli. As catecholamines get released into the blood, the nerves send signals to the arteries to either constrict or dilate, leading to changes in pressure.

Arteries are composed of smooth muscle allowing constriction and dilation through the parasympathetic nervous system. Arteries differ from veins in that they most often carry oxygenated blood away from the heart and into the rest of the body system. However, this is not always the case, as the pulmonary artery moves unoxygenated blood from the heart to the lungs to complete the gas exchange in the alveoli. Additionally, arteries play an important role in maintaining proper blood flow to the uterus during pregnancy, allowing proper fetal growth. Arteries play a crucial role in maintaining homeostasis in the body. Additionally, arteries begin to clog with a thicking of plaque known as atherosclerosis.

As individuals age, health issues begin presenting themselves in the form of stiffening or thickening of the arteries. This issue may develop due to a variety of issues ranging from advanced age, poor diet, sedentary lifestyle, and/or genetic factors such as hypercholestreriamiaAs problems arise in the structure of the arteries; it begins leading to more strain on the heart, which develops congestive heart failure and which is often fatal. More commonly, arteries continue to develop plaque which eventually leads to an obstruction of blood flow to vital organs, including the heart. Coronary arteries are crucial to providing the heart with its own blood supply; however, these arteries, such as the rest, are prone to atherosclerosis in untreated high-risk individuals. Depending on where the obstruction occurs in the coronary arteries, blood flow to a particular section or sometimes the entire heart is arrested. Ischemia to cardiac muscles may be seen as ST elevations on EKG monitoring strips as well as a rise in troponin, a significant marker of cardiac injury. If the ischemia persists, the individual may experience myocardial infection, otherwise known as a heart attack. The arteries are vital to maintaining a healthy cardiovascular system, thus, a healthy lifestyle.