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Veins (/ veɪn /) are blood vessels in the circulatory system of humans and most other animals that carry blood towards the heart. Most veins carry deoxygenated blood from the tissues back to the heart; exceptions are those of the pulmonary and fetal circulations which carry oxygenated blood to the heart. In the systemic circulation, arteries ...
Atherosclerosis, the narrowing of the blood vessels due to the buildup of plaque, and the coronary artery disease that often follows can cause heart attacks or cardiac arrest and is the leading cause of death worldwide resulting in 8.9 million deaths or 16% of all deaths. [17] [18] Blood vessel permeability is increased in inflammation.
Capillaries join the arteries and veins. The circulatory system is a system of organs that includes the heart, blood vessels, and blood which is circulated throughout the entire body of a human or other vertebrate. [1][2] It includes the cardiovascular system, or vascular system, that consists of the heart and blood vessels (from Greek kardia ...
Coronary circulation is the circulation of blood in the arteries and veins that supply the heart muscle (myocardium). Coronary arteries supply oxygenated blood to the heart muscle. Cardiac veins then drain away the blood after it has been deoxygenated. Because the rest of the body, and most especially the brain, needs a steady supply of ...
Arteries: Carry blood away from the heart Veins : Carry blood back to the heart Vasodilation and vasoconstriction (narrowing blood vessels) help move blood through your body's extensive network of ...
Blood is composed of blood cells suspended in blood plasma. Plasma, which constitutes 55% of blood fluid, is mostly water (92% by volume), [2] and contains proteins, glucose, mineral ions, and hormones. The blood cells are mainly red blood cells (erythrocytes), white blood cells (leukocytes), and (in mammals) platelets (thrombocytes). [3]
Substances called vasoconstrictors can reduce the size of blood vessels, thereby increasing blood pressure. Vasodilators (such as nitroglycerin) increase the size of blood vessels, thereby decreasing arterial pressure. If the blood viscosity increases (gets thicker), the result is an increase in arterial pressure.
Diagram of the alveoli with both cross-section and external view. The pulmonary veins are the veins that transfer oxygenated blood from the lungs to the heart. The largest pulmonary veins are the four main pulmonary veins, two from each lung that drain into the left atrium of the heart. The pulmonary veins are part of the pulmonary circulation.