Blood in our body serves as a connecting element that ensures the vital activity of every cell, every organ. Its movement in the body is called blood circulation, due to which oxygen, hormones and nutrients enter all tissues and organs, and from there the decomposition products of waste substances are removed from it. In addition, the blood carries out thermoregulation of the body, and also protects it from harmful microbes. The blood vessels and the heart, which make up the circulatory system, all the functions of which are strictly coordinated, ensure the continuity of blood circulation.
Blood vessels, common the total length of which is 100 thousand km permeate the human body like a giant web, allowing each cell to be saturated with oxygen. The movement of blood occurs directly through the arteries, veins and capillaries.
Arteries are thick-walled vessels through which blood flows from the heart. They are very elastic and, depending on the volume of blood pumped by the heart, can expand or contract. Arteries carry blood enriched with respirable oxygen, that is, "clean". Veins, in contrast, produce an outflow of blood filled with carbon dioxide. Through them, blood moves to the heart. Venous walls are less thick than arteries. Capillaries are tiny blood vessels with very thin walls through which oxygen and nutrients are transferred from blood to cells and carbon dioxide and metabolic products pass from cells to blood.
The largest (in cross section reaching 5 cm) blood vessel in the human body is the aorta, which branches into arteries, arteries into arterioles (smaller vessels), and those, in turn, into capillaries.
The impetus for the movement of blood is a heartbeat. The movement of blood occurs in two circles: a small (pulmonary) and a large circle of blood circulation, in a continuous stream. When moving in a small circle, it is freed from carbon dioxide and saturated with oxygen. In a large circle, on the contrary, it gives off oxygen and carries nutrients, taking carbon dioxide and waste products.
Human blood vessels play an extremely important role in the vital processes of the body. They were called the “highways of life” for good reason: linking together literally all the cells of the body, they ensure its coordinated work.
Scientists claim that blood vessels wear out and age somewhat earlier than other body systems. And the more scornful a person is when and what he eats and drinks, if he is not actively involved in sports, that is, the more messy his life is, the faster biological debris and various wastes are deposited on the walls of blood vessels. Slagging of blood vessels leads to a deterioration in the blood supply to the body, which, in turn, causes a lack of essential nutrients in the tissues. This is how the well-known diseases develop, and so the aging of the body occurs.
Cardiovascular diseases, along with diabetes and cancer, today firmly hold the palm among the most dangerous and widespread diseases. The group of diseases of blood vessels and heart includes the following:
- coronary artery disease,
- rheumatic heart disease
- diseases of the blood vessels of the brain,
- congenital heart disease ,
- pulmonary embolism,
- deep vein thrombosis,
- peripheral artery disease.
Acute diseases such as strokes and heart attacks occur mainly as a result of blockage of blood vessels, which then prevents the flow of blood to the brain or heart. The cause of blockages is fat deposits on the inner walls of the blood vessels that supply blood to the heart or brain.
Of particular difficulty in identifying vascular and heart diseases is their asymptomatic course, so timely diagnosis will help not only to protect yourself from serious complications, but in some cases save your life.