Question

Arteries and veins have different structures and carry out different functions. Explain how the different structure of arteries and veins relate to these functions.

Answer 1

ARTERIES:

• Arteries have thick outer walls with a lot of muscles and elastic fibers to prevent the artery from bursting while carrying blood at high pressure.
• Arteries have a small lumen to maintain high blood pressure while carrying blood to tissues further away from the heart.
• Arteries do not have valves since high pressure prevents back flow of blood.

VEINS:

• Have a thin outer wall with little elasitic fibers and muscles since blood is carried at low pressure.
• Have a large lumen to prevent the resistance of the blood while being carried back to the heart.
• Contains valves which prevent backflow of blood since the blood is carried at low pressure