What is the function of the arteries. Normal heart rate. Arteries in children

Healthy artery is a guarantee long work cordially- vascular system and hence the whole organism. The arterial system includes vessels of different diameters and characteristics. Blood moves intensively along them, its speed in certain areas reaches 25 cm / s. What role do arteries play in the body and why is it so important to systematically check their condition, MedAboutMe figured it out.

Blood flow and arteries

The arterial network is part of the cardiovascular system, the vessels through which blood circulates continuously. Many processes in the body depend on how easily it passes through the vessel. First of all, it is the slowing of blood flow in the artery, as well as its complete blockage by a thrombus, fat bubble or other obstacle, that can cause necrosis of an organ or part of it. Moreover, for the tissue to die, sometimes only a few tens of minutes are enough.

Arteries are also associated with diseases characterized by a violation of pressure - hypertension and hypotension. Blood moves through the arteries high speed and a noticeable pulsation, therefore, it is through these vessels that the heart rate (pulse) is measured.

Veins and arteries are the basis of the vascular system, hollow organs through which blood circulates continuously in the body. These two types of vessels differ in their structure because they perform different functions.

An artery carries oxygen-rich blood from the heart to the organs. The movement is provided by the contraction of the myocardium itself, so it is quite intense. In large vessels (for example, the carotid artery, aorta, and others), it can reach a speed of 20-25 cm / s. Arterial blood is bright, scarlet, saturated with nutrients.

Veins move blood from the organs to the heart. It is darker, almost without oxygen, but with an excess of carbon dioxide and other decay products. Its movement is provided by the very structure of the vessel, which pushes the blood to the heart. Here the traffic is not so intense.

These functions of the veins and arteries are performed in a large (systemic) circle of blood circulation, in which the heart and all other organs, as well as muscles and other tissues are involved. Full cycle here the blood passes in just 23-27 seconds, and this speed is provided precisely by the intensity in the arterial blood flow.

The small circle, which includes only the heart and lungs, works the other way around, since this is where the blood is enriched with oxygen. An artery carries venous blood from the heart to the lungs, while a vein carries arterial blood. This circle of blood passes in 4-5 seconds.

Vessels contain the highest percentage circulating blood in the human body, while the veins and arteries have a different load:

• Arterial is 14%.
• Venous - 64%.

Functions of the arteries

As already mentioned, the main task of the arteries is to deliver oxygen and other nutrients to organs and tissues. How effectively the vessels cope with this task also depends on how the whole organism will work.

If, for some reason, arterial blood supplies tissues not enough oxygen, oxygen starvation (hypoxia) occurs, which can lead to severe organ damage and even necrosis. The heart and brain are especially sensitive in this regard.

• If the coronary (heart) arteries malfunction, heart failure can occur, coronary heart disease can develop, or myocardial infarction can occur.
• Prolonged hypoxia of the brain leads to death, and partial causes confusion, dizziness, fainting.
• fetal hypoxia during pathological childbirth can lead to death or serious damage to the central nervous system. And in the event that oxygen did not enter the enough while carrying a child, he will be born with a developmental delay.

arteries in adults

The system of arteries in adults is well developed vessels with elastic elastic walls. In total, from 5 to 35 liters of blood can pass through them in 1 minute. However, with age, the vessels wear out, especially often it is noticeable precisely on the arteries - cholesterol plaques form here, which interfere with blood flow, the walls of the vessels can become thinner, and hemorrhages occur.

Arteries in men

The arterial system of men and women differs little in structure. Differences are noticeable only in the arteries of the pelvis. In men, here, among others, the testicular vessels are located, and in women - the uterine artery.

Men are more susceptible cardiovascular diseases than women. This is due to the fact that before menopause female hormones able to protect the body from excess "bad" cholesterol, thereby preventing the development of atherosclerosis of the arteries. Men do not have such protection, so the narrowing of the lumen of the vessels can be diagnosed in a fairly early age- starting from 35-40 years. Related to this is more myocardial infarction among men - the condition is the end stage of coronary heart disease, lesions coronary arteries.

AT female body before menopause, the artery is protected by hormones. However, after the cessation of estrogen production, cholesterol can accumulate quite quickly. In addition, according to statistics, it is women who are more likely to suffer from hypertension (persistent high blood pressure), which aggravates the course of coronary heart disease.

The entire cardiovascular system receives a significant load during pregnancy and childbirth. Thus, the volume of circulating blood in a woman can increase up to 50%, and with multiple pregnancy- up to 70%. Of course, this condition affects the functioning of the arteries, in particular, which is why women in the gestational period often experience increased pressure.

in childbirth and postpartum period are of particular danger arterial bleeding. Because these vessels blood is coming at high speed, pathological losses can occur within a short period, sometimes just a few minutes are enough.

Arteries in children

The fetal circulatory system is placental, meaning oxygen and nutrients the child receives not through the lungs (a small circle of blood circulation), but through arterial blood mother, which comes to him through the umbilical vein.

At birth, the baby's lungs open, and the cardiovascular system switches to pulmonary circulation - a small circle is launched. In this case, the umbilical arteries are completely overgrown during the first days of life.

Also, immediately after birth, changes occur in the heart, the fetus has an oval window - a hole that connects the right and left atria and allows blood to flow, bypassing the lungs. After the first breath, the hole is normally closed by a valve, and even during the first 1-2 years it completely overgrows.

In the event that the oval window does not close, it can cause diseases, as it will interfere with the functioning of the pulmonary circulation and promote mixing of arterial and venous blood. However, in most cases, even those people who live with an open oval window all life, special problems do not feel healthy.

In childhood, there may be serious pathologies vascular development. Among them:

• Aneurysms (weakening of the walls of the vessel, as a result of which it locally increases in diameter).
• Arterial stenosis (narrowing of the diameter of the artery).
• Hypoplasia of the arteries (underdevelopment of the vessel tube).

The structure of the artery

According to its structure, an artery is a more elastic and stronger vessel than a vein. Its walls are thicker and more elastic, because they withstand more pressure blood than veins. They consist of three layers:

• Internal (consists of endothelial cells).
• Medium (base - elastic fabric and fibers smooth muscle). Depending on what prevails, elastic or muscle fibers are distinguished different types arteries. In large vessels, there is more elastin and collagen, and small ones, arterioles, consist almost entirely of muscle elements.
• External (connective tissue).

Due to the high elasticity of the walls of the arteries, they transmit the impulse of the heart beats along their entire length. On those vessels that pass close to the skin, it is easy to feel this beating - it is there that we measure the pulse.

All arteries human body vary greatly in diameter. The closer a blood vessel is to an organ, the smaller it is, and the thinner its wall. At the last levels of branching, the vessels pass directly into the capillaries, such arteries are called arterioles.

arterial system

Most of the vessels are paired - that is, there are similar left and right arteries. These include the arteries of the limbs, femoral, vertebral, cerebral and other vessels. Among the unpaired ones, the most famous is the central artery aorta.

Arteries are also divided into:

• Anastomosing, that is, those that have connections with neighboring vascular trunks.
• Terminal, without articulations. This type of artery is most prone to blockage by a thrombus, followed by a heart attack - the necrosis of part of the organ.

Aorta

The aorta is the central and widest artery in the human body, which runs from the heart down to the left of the spine. Refers to big circle blood circulation - it is from it that blood is distributed through other vessels that carry it to specific organs and zones human body. In the widest part, its diameter is 25-30 mm, and in the narrowest part - 21-22 mm.

Since this is a fairly wide vessel, it is extremely rare for a complete blockage of the blood flow of the artery to develop. However, there are congenital and acquired problems with hemodynamic disturbance due to stenosis and other diseases. In the event that such a pathology is present, it affects the entire cardiovascular system, can cause the degeneration of the heart muscle, blood flow disorders in peripheral vessels. Therefore, coarctation of the aorta (narrowing of the lumen) requires mandatory operation on the arteries.

Aortitis (inflammation of the aortic wall) occurs with infectious and autoimmune diseases. According to the symptoms, the disease resembles angina pectoris, but pain attacks are not stopped by nitroglycerin.

The carotid artery is a pair of blood vessels that ascends from the aorta and provides blood flow from the heart to the brain. There are common, internal and external carotid arteries. According to the external and general ones, which are easy to feel on the neck, the pulse is often determined - here the beating of the vessels is felt better than on the wrist. Despite the fact that this twin vessel, the left and right arteries have slight differences. The left one exits directly from the aortic arch, so it is 2-3 cm longer.

Damage carotid artery- one of the most dangerous, because it causes life threatening massive bleeding. Pathological losses blood comes in a few minutes.

vertebral artery

The vertebral arteries are paired vessels that, along with the carotid arteries, supply the brain with oxygen. Them main feature- lying in the canal formed by the processes of the cervical vertebrae. That's why the largest number blood flow disorders here are associated with their clamping, and not developmental pathologies or atherosclerosis. The vertebral artery supplies blood to the posterior lobes of the brain and supplies only 15-30% of the oxygen needed by the organ.

Syndrome vertebral artery

Since the vertebral artery passes through the canal of the cervical vertebrae, it is often pinched. The reason may be wrong position body, including during sleep, diseases of the spine, for example, intervertebral hernia, various inflammatory processes And so on.

The brain is an organ that needs increased amount oxygen. At rest, it consumes 15% of all income, and in the active state - up to 20-25%. Therefore, even a slight hypoxia significantly affects his condition.

The syndrome of vertebral arteries is manifested by such symptoms:

• Headache, especially after waking up (if the artery is compressed during sleep).
• Chronic fatigue.
• Vertigo.
• Violation of vision, "flies" may appear before the eyes, darken in the eyes.
• Increased blood pressure.

The syndrome of the vertebral artery is eliminated most often by treating the spine. If there are no visible diseases, it is very important to pay attention to the mattress and pillow on which the patient sleeps, to replace them with orthopedic ones.

The arteries of the limbs provide blood to the arms and legs of a person. These are paired vessels, some of them, such as the femoral artery, are quite wide in diameter, and their damage can also cause massive life-threatening bleeding.

Closer to the hands and feet, the diameter of the lumen of the arteries narrows. The blood circulating through these vessels is involved in peripheral circulation and thermoregulation of the body. In particular, if the temperature environment too low, the body reduces the volume of blood in the arteries of the extremities, redirects it to the vessels that provide internal organs.

With impaired blood supply to the limbs, a person feels:

• Tingling in arms and legs.
• Cold hands.
• Pale to blue skin. Sometimes the effect of "marble skin" is manifested.
• Feeling of numbness in hands and feet.

This condition may be a symptom of other cardiovascular diseases. In particular, arterial hypertension, heart failure, vascular damage and others. Therefore, a violation of the blood flow of the arteries of the extremities is a reason to be examined by a cardiologist.

arteries lower extremities

Because it's on its feet increased load, it is here that diseases of the blood vessels often manifest themselves. Veins and arteries suffer from increased pressure, blood clots and atherosclerotic plaques can form here.

The arteries of the lower extremities are one of the risk groups for the development of various diseases of the cardiovascular system in diabetes mellitus. because of high content glucose in the blood, it is here that blockage of the metatarsal vessels (on the foot) can occur, gangrene can develop.

Chronic arterial insufficiency lower extremities (HUNK) at first manifests itself only as pain in calf muscles and leg fatigue. Later, the following symptoms may develop:

• Pallor skin cold to the touch feet.
• There are small wounds that do not heal well. Later, trophic ulcers develop.
• The color of the nail plate changes, susceptibility to fungal infections increases.

Treatment involves the use of drugs that improve blood microcirculation, possibly surgical intervention. HUNK is a chronic and progressive disease of the arteries of the lower extremities. Therefore, patients with this diagnosis should be permanent basis monitor the state of the cardiovascular system.

Uterine artery

The blood supply to the uterus comes from the ovarian and uterine arteries. Moreover, it is the latter that perform a key function in supplying the fetus with oxygen during pregnancy. Clamping uterine artery or other reasons causing violation blood flow in it, lead to fetal hypoxia and other complications. Most often similar violations appear on later dates Therefore, doctors associate insufficient blood circulation in the uterus with the development of preeclampsia - late toxicosis of pregnant women.

The uterine artery can nourish not only the uterus itself, but also neoplasms in it. So, it is these vessels that support the widespread benign tumor myoma.

The coronary arteries are the arteries that supply the heart with oxygen. They are located both on the surface and inside the myocardium. In their structure, these are rather small end vessels, so they are often subjected to various diseases. Atherosclerotic plaques here cause ischemic heart disease, which in many cases ends in myocardial infarction. A detached blood clot can also lead to necrosis of the heart tissue, often it migrates here from the veins of the lower extremities.

Maintaining the health of the coronary arteries is one of the main conditions for maintaining the health of the entire cardiovascular system.

Allocate the left and right arteries of the heart. At the same time, the anatomy of the coronary arteries is individual for each person. For example, 4% of people have a third vessel located on back wall. In some patients, only one artery occurs, and sometimes, on the contrary, a doubling of the standard number is observed - there are two vessels on the left and on the right. All these features do not affect the functioning of the heart.

pulmonary artery

The pulmonary artery is a paired vessel that originates from the right ventricle of the heart. pulmonary trunk, then branches to the sides, to the left and right lung. This is one of the key vessels of the pulmonary circulation. It is in the pulmonary arteries, unlike others, that circulates deoxygenated blood- through them it reaches the lungs, where it is enriched with oxygen.

This is a fairly large artery, which can reach a diameter of up to 2.5 cm.

In the fetus, between the pulmonary artery and the aorta, there is a lumen - the Botallov (arterial) duct. This is an important part placental circulation allowing venous and arterial blood to mix. After the birth and opening of the lungs, the duct gradually overgrows and turns into a tight ligament between the vessels. If this does not happen, the baby is diagnosed with a heart defect - open ductus arteriosus. It is characterized by tachycardia, shortness of breath, and breathing problems. If the pathology is not corrected in time, this leads to an increase in the size of the heart, stunted growth and development.

arterial disease

Arterial diseases can be divided into congenital and acquired. Congenital malformations are often diagnosed at an early age (before 3-5 years) or immediately after birth.

Acquired develop over the years, may be the result of diseases, heredity or lifestyle. For example, arterial blood flow may be impaired due to diabetes mellitus, which worsens the composition of arterial blood, or may occur after vascular injury.

Other reasons for the development of diseases can be bad habits and wrong image life:

• Smoking increases the risk of atherosclerosis.
• Excess salt in the diet disrupts the water-salt balance and affects blood pressure.
• Too fatty food increases the level of "bad" cholesterol in the blood, contributes to the formation of atherosclerotic plaques.
• Overweight body can affect the condition of the arteries of the limbs and other vessels.

Hypoplasia of the arteries - birth defects vessels, which are characterized by the underdevelopment of a certain part of them, as a result of which there is a narrowing of the lumen and a deterioration in blood flow. The severity of the symptoms of the disease depends on which vessel is affected. For example, hypoplasia of the aortic artery manifests itself already in the first day of life, as soon as the ductus arteriosus begins to overgrow. The baby has:

• Tachycardia with weak pulse.
• Paleness of the skin.
• Dyspnea.
• Breathing problems, in particular, may be apnea during sleep.

Hypoplasia of the vertebral artery may not manifest itself for a long time. This defect is characterized by signs oxygen starvation brain:

• Weakness.
• Drowsiness.
• Irritability.
• Visual impairment.
• Darkening in the eyes, dizziness.
• Infants may experience mental retardation.

Arterial hypoplasia is a risk factor for the development of organ infarctions, because a narrow area can easily be blocked by a thrombus.

Pathology most often develops for the following reasons:

• Drinking alcohol and smoking while pregnant.
• Injury during pregnancy.
• infectious diseases. Influenza, rubella, acute toxoplasmosis are especially dangerous.

Surgical treatment is performed to completely eliminate the pathology.

artery aneurysm

An aneurysm is a stretching of the vessel wall, most often found in the arteries. It is formed due to congenital or acquired defects in the middle part of the artery wall. As a result, pulsating blood presses on the weak area and stretches it.

The severity of the symptoms of an aneurysm and its danger depend on the site of the lesion.

In the pathology of the arteries of the brain, the aneurysm may not make itself felt until the weakened area bursts and causes hemorrhagic stroke(hemorrhage). If the aneurysm grows, but does not burst, its symptoms are similar to a brain tumor - headaches, blurred vision, nausea, and so on.

Aneurysm of the coronary arteries may occur after myocardial infarction myocardium, is manifested by heart failure: weakness, edema, and others.

The expansion of the walls of the aorta may be asymptomatic until the diameter of the artery exceeds 7 cm. In other cases, a person may feel pain, pulsation in the abdomen, cold in the toes and hands. Rupture of the aorta causes massive bleeding and is fatal in most cases.

arterial stenosis

artery stenosis - dangerous state, characterized by a decrease in the lumen of the vessel, followed by impaired blood flow. It occurs as a consequence of other diseases - diabetes mellitus, atherosclerosis, arterial hypertension. main reason- Accumulation of cholesterol plaques on the walls of blood vessels. However, the state may be congenital pathology. Unlike arterial hypoplasia, which is characterized by underdevelopment of the wall, a vessel affected by stenosis may look normal in appearance.

Arterial stenosis can appear anywhere in the arterial system.

• Damage to the vessels of the brain.

It is characterized by a gradual deterioration of blood circulation, which manifests itself in memory impairment, changes in emotional sphere, may occur movement disorders. The most dangerous consequence is ischemic stroke.

• Stenosis of the arteries of the lower extremities.

Impaired blood flow in the legs can lead to dangerous consequences, including development trophic ulcers and gangrene. typical for patients diabetes Type 2, the so-called "diabetic foot".

• Stenosis of the coronary arteries.

The main symptom of coronary heart disease, the risk of developing heart failure and myocardial infarction.

• Stenosis pulmonary artery

A congenital pathology in which there is a decrease in the diameter of the pulmonary duct or the vessels themselves. Very often combined with other heart defects.

Blood moves through the arteries under a certain pressure. There are two types of it:

• Systolic (upper) occurs when the heart muscle contracts.
• Diastolic (lower) occurs when the heart relaxes.

Normally, in an adult, these figures should be 120/80 mm Hg. Art. However, when physical activity or emotional experiences, blood pressure may increase - this is facilitated by the release of hormones into the blood, an increase in muscle oxygen demand, and other factors. At healthy person BP should return to normal a short time after removing the cause.

If indicators blood pressure constantly above normal, often observed in calm state, a person is diagnosed arterial hypertension(hypertension). This is a common CVS disease, it occurs in 50-65% of people over 65 years of age and in 20-30% of the adult population.

There are several degrees of hypertension:

• 1 degree - 140-159 / 90-99 mm Hg. Art.
• 2 degree - 169-179 / 100-109 mm Hg. Art.
• 3 degree - 180 and above / 110 and above mm Hg. Art.

Increased arterial blood flow affects the functioning of the cardiovascular system, even if the patient is accustomed to high blood pressure values. Hypertension increases the risk of developing such diseases and conditions:

• Myocardial infarction.
• Stroke.
• Heart failure.
• Visual disturbances.
• Renal failure.

Arteriosclerosis

Atherosclerosis of the arteries is one of the most common diseases of the cardiovascular system, its different degrees are recorded in every second person over 50 years of age. With age, the metabolism of fats and proteins is disturbed, as a result of which plaques - cholesterol deposits - begin to form on the walls of the arteries.

Atherosclerosis of the arteries is a chronic disease, and it does not show any symptoms for a long time. And in this his main danger, because in advanced stages with a strong overlap of the lumen of the vessels, the disease causes severe consequences. Atherosclerosis of the arteries can be localized in a specific area of ​​the body, however, as a rule, it affects the entire body. arterial system.

Since plaques make the vessels not so elastic, in atherosclerosis, not only the deposits themselves are dangerous, but also blood clots that form in areas of microdamage to the walls. Most often, it is the combination of a cholesterol plaque and a blood clot that leads to organ infarctions.

Cardiac ischemia - special case atherosclerosis, in which the coronary arteries are affected. The disease develops over the years and in the early stages does not make itself felt. The asymptomatic, or "silent" form of coronary artery disease can last up to 5 years or more. After the patient shows violations heart rate, angina pectoris, signs of insufficient oxygen supply to the heart muscle: fatigue, shortness of breath, and so on.

coronary artery disease - chronic diagnosis, a disease that gradually progresses. Best Results in stopping the atherosclerotic degeneration of the coronary arteries gives treatment for early stages. But since at this time the disease does not make itself felt, the key to its diagnosis are preventive receptions by a cardiologist. They are recommended for men annually, starting from the age of 40, and for women - no later than 50 years.

myocardial infarction

The end stage of ischemic disease is myocardial infarction, in which atherosclerotic plaque, often with an attached thrombus, completely occludes the artery. Depending on how big the area is coronary vessel cannot deliver arterial blood, dies different plot heart muscle.

The infarction is manifested by the characteristic severe pain, which:

• It is not stopped by taking nitroglycerin tablets (successively three tablets with breaks of five minutes).
• It does not pass at rest, in the open air.
• It can give to the arm, back, shoulder, neck, jaw.

Myocardial infarction requires immediate medical care, preferably a specialized cardio team, which will be able to carry out the first manipulations on the way to the hospital. It must be remembered that this is a condition that potentially leads to lethal outcome, that's why Ambulance should be called even if an attack is suspected. If the patient survives, a scar forms on the affected area of ​​the myocardium, which leads to disability.

Thromboembolism of the arteries

Arterial thromboembolism - blockage of a vessel by a thrombus, as a result of which blood flow stops and ischemia develops. Special cases - myocardial infarction, kidney infarction, ischemic stroke.

Separately, cardiologists distinguish pulmonary embolism (PE). In this condition, blood clots block the vessel itself or its branches. Since the diameter of the pulmonary artery is quite large (up to 2.5 cm), the condition is most often caused by large blood clots that form in the veins of the lower extremities, from there they enter the heart and then clog the lumen.

This type of arterial thromboembolism is a fairly common acute condition, which is fixed on average in 1 out of 1000 patients. Elderly people are most often affected, among men PE occurs 20-30% more often than in women. In some cases, blockage of the pulmonary artery is not caused by blood clots, but by air or fat bubbles, tumor cells, foreign bodies. However, among all possible causes it is blood clots that are the main ones.

Modern medicine offers many methods of treating arteries, both conservative and surgical. However, until now, these diseases remain one of the most severe and difficult to treat. This is largely due to the fact that the processes taking place in the left and right arteries of the extremities, main vessels, vessels of the brain and heart, many factors affect, for example, the composition of the blood, the work of the heart muscle, the condition of the veins, age-related changes in tissues. Therefore, treatment should be carried out comprehensively, taking into account all possible causes.

In some cases, such as vertebral artery syndrome, the therapy will be to treat the spine rather than the vessel itself.

Drugs against atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis of the arteries is chronic disease which progresses with age. In many ways, the state of the walls of blood vessels depends on the lifestyle of a person and his nutrition system. However, if a disease is detected, the patient may be prescribed drugs that minimize the risks of complications of atherosclerosis:

• Drugs that slow down blood clotting.

The most common of these is aspirin ( acetylsalicylic acid). Medicines do not help get rid of themselves cholesterol plaques but help prevent arterial thromboembolism.

• Statins (simvastatin, atorvastatin, rosuvastatin, lovastatin, fluvastatin).

Medicines help lower the level of cholesterol in the arteries, so they can be prescribed for the prevention of atherosclerosis.

• Fibrates (fenofibrate, gemfibrozil).

They improve metabolic processes, in particular, the utilization of fats and the use of glucose. In addition, they have an anti-inflammatory effect, which means that the artery is protected from the development of infectious processes.

• Hypolipid drugs (probucol, omega-3-glycerides).

They normalize blood composition, reduce the amount of fats and increase the percentage of proteins that can bind cholesterol.

• A nicotinic acid.

At a dose of 2-3 g per day, it can reduce the level total cholesterol and increase the content of "good" cholesterol - high density lipoproteins.

In the event that atherosclerosis of the arteries has led to a heart attack of the organ, the following drugs are prescribed:

• Thrombolytics.

Drugs that are given to the patient during the first 2-4 hours (no later than 12 hours) after myocardial infarction. Their main task is to restore the patency of the coronary arteries. Sometimes such drugs are administered to the patient already in the ambulance, this increases the survival rate among those who have had an attack and reduces the risk of complications.

• Beta blockers.

The drugs reduce the tissue's need for oxygen, thereby slowing down the process of necrosis and relieve the load on the heart.

Prospects for the treatment of coronary artery disease and arterial disease

Unfortunately, despite all efforts to combat ischemic disease hearts, according to World Organization health, it is the most common cause of death among the entire population of the globe. It is worth noting that in second place is a stroke - a condition also associated with disruption of the arteries.

Diseases that cause arterial stenosis and thromboembolism with subsequent ischemia are most often chronic. It develops over the years and is mostly associated with a person's lifestyle. For example, significant factors in the development of atherosclerosis are:

• Smoking.
• Excess fatty foods in the diet.
• sedentary image life.

The development of aneurysms is often associated with alcohol, since alcohol affects the functioning of the heart, often leading to high blood pressure and also weakens elastic tissues.

Therefore, any treatment of acquired arterial diseases is associated, first of all, with a change in lifestyle.

Also, such diseases are often hereditary in nature, can develop asymptomatically after injuries, metabolic disorders, endocrine diseases. https://medaboutme.ru/

arteries - blood vessels, carrying blood from the heart to the organs and tissues of the body. The largest artery that drains blood from the heart is 2.5 cm in diameter. The diameter of small arteries is only about 0.1 mm. The arterial walls located close to the heart contain many elastic fibers that compensate for the pulse wave caused by the contraction of the heart, and thus cause an even flow of blood. The walls of the arteries further away from the heart are thicker and less elastic due to more muscle fibers in them. Many arteries are interconnected: if one branch of an artery is obstructed, blood can continue to flow through an artery located nearby.

Capillaries are the thinnest blood vessels that connect the venous and arterial systems. The length of the capillary is about a millimeter, the diameter is so small that only one shaped element blood. All internal organs and skin are penetrated by a network of capillaries.

Function of the arteries

From the left ventricle of the heart, oxygenated blood is carried by the aorta and arteries throughout the body. Red blood cells carry oxygen. All nutrients enter the arterial blood, which are branched circulatory system penetrate into the cells of the tissues of the human body. The spread of the pulse wave is associated with the ability of the walls of the arteries to elastic stretch and collapse.

Capillary function

Through the capillaries, gas exchange and metabolism occurs between the blood and tissues. The substances dissolved in the blood plasma, together with water, enter the tissue cells through the pores in the thin walls of the capillaries. The liquid with the nutrients contained in it, first of all, enters the interstitial (intercellular) space filled with liquid. From there, cells absorb nutrients, which, with the participation of oxygen, are broken down into carbon dioxide and water. Carbon dioxide, together with other decay products formed in the process of metabolism, again enters the capillaries, and from there through the venules into the veins. Blood flows back into the right ventricle of the heart, from there it enters the lungs, where it is saturated with oxygen, and from the lungs it enters left heart. From where the blood again enters the arteries, capillaries and veins.

During the day, about 20 liters of fluid is filtered through the walls of the capillaries and distributed in the intercellular space: 18 liters again returns to the capillaries, and 2 liters enters the blood with lymph. 50% of all blood flows through capillaries, arterioles and venules. The total surface area of ​​the network of capillaries is about 300 square meters. The blood pressure in them is 12-20 mm Hg. Art.

How to measure blood pressure?

To measure blood pressure, place the cuff on the patient's upper arm and connect it to the device's manometer. The patient should sit quietly or lie down. Then you should find the pulse on the artery in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe cubital fossa and attach a stethoscope funnel there. It is necessary to pressurize the cuff until the tones disappear on the arteries in the region of the cubital fossa. Then open the valve and reduce the pressure in the cuff. The moment of occurrence of tones on the artery corresponds to the value systolic pressure, the moment of disappearance of the tones corresponds to the diastolic pressure in the artery. For 30-40 year old people, systolic blood pressure usually is 125, and diastolic 85 mm Hg. Art.

What is a pulse?

Pulse - rhythmic jerky oscillations of the arterial walls, caused by the ejection of blood into the arterial system as a result of contraction of the heart. It is determined by touch in several places (for example, the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe wrist or temples). The rhythmic ejection of blood by the heart arterial vessels pulse waves occur, the speed of which is much higher than the speed of blood flow.

Normal heart rate

• In newborns - 140 beats / min.
• In children 2 years old - 120 beats / min.
• In children 4 years old - 100 beats / min.
• In children 10 years old - 90 beats / min.
• In adult men - 62-70 beats / min.
• Women - 75 beats / min.

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