In: Biology
1. What would happen to blood flow if pressure
increased? Decreased? What would happen to blood flow if
resistance increased? Decreased?
2. What kinds of things affect resistance in blood
vessels? Which one of these has the greatest effect? Explain
why in terms of laminar flow.
1. What would happen to blood flow if pressure increased? Decreased? What would happen to blood flow if resistance increased? Decreased?
Answer: In our body blood is pumped to arteries by heart. Blood pressure (BP) is the pressure exerted by circulating blood upon the walls of blood vessels. Blood pressure is also known as the arterial pressure in the systemic circulation. The high blood pressure is harmful to the body because it may rapture the arteries of the brain and heart kidneys which may cause blood clotting and if rupturing took place in heart and brain then it may lead to stroke and ultimately causes death. It also causes eyesight loss. Whereas the decreased blood pressure is also harmful to the medical term it is known as hypotension. The major symptoms of low blood pressure are the weakness, fainting, nausea, dehydration, blurred vision, and depression.
Blood flow during increased or decreased resistance
Resistance means having obstacles in normal blood flow. When the resistance is increased the blood flow decreases and when resistance is decreased the blood flow increases. The major causes of the resistance to blood flow are blood volume, vessel length, and blood viscosity.
2. What kinds of things affect resistance in blood vessels? Which one of these has the greatest effect? Explain why in terms of laminar flow.
Answer: The resistance in the flow of blood in a vascular system mainly depends upon the blood vessels length, diameter, the actual organization blood vessel, physical characteristics of blood like viscosity, laminar flow and extravascular forces which acts on the blood vessels. Mainly the diameter and length of the vascular system account for the resistance of the blood flow. The length of the vessel is directly proportional to the resistance, greater the length greater the flow resistance. Another factor such as blood volume and blood viscosity also plays role in flow resistance.