Difference Between Arteries And Veins

Arteries and Veins are the two most important blood vessels present in the human body. There are nearly about 70 thousand miles long network present which is built up with the help of the arteries and veins. These blood vessels are small tube-like structures. Blood runs through these muscular tubes, commonly known as blood vessels. Blood is transported through arteries from the heart to the rest of the body. Blood is returned to the heart by veins. The human body is connected by a complex system of arteries and veins.

Difference Between Arteries and Veins

Differences between arteries and veins are as follows:

Features	Arteries	Veins
Type of Walls	There are three different types of layers present in the artery those are highly muscular. Along with that, they are very rigid & relatively thicker.	In the case of the vein, there are three different layers present but, those are thinner & relatively less muscular than the walls of the artery.
Location in The Body	The artery in the human body is placed deep in the circulatory system. These are not accessible from the skin.	The veins are placed relatively near the skin of the human body. So, it is very easy to get access to it.
Function in The Body	In the human body, the arteries are responsible for the transportation of oxygenated blood.	The Veins are responsible for the transportation of Deoxygenated blood in the body.
Color of Vessels	The arteries appear in red color in the human body.	The veins appear in a relatively bluish color in the human body.
Target of Blood Transport	The arteries’ main target cells are the normal cells in the body. That means blood is being transported to the cells from the heart.	The veins mainly target heart cells in the body. It collects blood from different cells in the body & moves towards the heart cells.
Direction of Transport	In arteries, we can see a downward direction of the blood flow in the body. From the heart, the blood flows in the lower direction.	In veins, the blood flows in the upward direction. That means, the blood is collected from every cell in the body & moves towards the heart cells.
Rate of Pressure	The blood pressure rate is high in the arteries. As the blood is being pumped by the heart & to flows by the arteries. So, the pressure is relatively high.	The blood pressure is less in the veins. As there are no pumping mechanism are present. The blood which is collected by the capillaries is going inside the veins.
Lumen of Vessels	The lumen is very narrow in the arteries. This is also another reason for high blood pressure.	The lumen is very wide in the Veins. That is the reason; there is less blood pressure in the veins.
Chances of Disorders	Arteries have more chances to get some disorder in the human body. Like, there are disorders like angina pectoris, atherosclerosis, etc.	Veins are fewer chances to catch disorders in the human body. Some very rare diseases like varicose veins can happen to the human body.
Level of Oxygen	As the arteries are transporting the oxygenated blood, there is an ample amount of oxygen present in the blood here.	In the veins, the deoxygenated types of blood are present. So, the level of oxygen is very low in this kind of vessel.

What are Arteries?

The artery is one type of blood vessel present inside deep of the body. The artery carries the oxygenated blood from the heart to the rest of the part in the body. The arteries are responsible for working inside the body as it provides pure blood to the cells. There are small branches present in the arteries. These small branches are known as the Arteriole. The artery and arteriole can change their size based on some conditions. This causes blood pressure in the body. The largest artery in the body is Aorta which carries blood from the heart to the organs.

Types of Arteries

There are three types of arteries:

• Elastic Artery: Large vessels leaving the heart are called elastic arteries. The pulmonary artery and the aorta are two examples. The primary artery transporting blood away from the heart is the aorta. Blood must be forced from the heart in order for it to circulate throughout the body.
• Muscular Artery: Blood is pumped into muscular arteries like the femoral or coronary arteries from elastic arteries. The walls of muscular arteries are made of smooth muscle fibers. These arteries can expand and contract because of the muscles.
• Arteriole: The smallest form of artery is an arteriole. They use networks of capillaries to distribute blood from larger arteries. Arterioles’ outer layer also has smooth muscle, which enables expansions and contractions.

Characteristics Of Arteries

Following are some of the characteristics of arteries:

1. Arteries are present inside the deep layer of the skin in the human body.
2. There is a thick layer present in the artery. The layer is made by the muscular tissues.
3. Arteries carry oxygenated blood from the heart to the body’s organs.
4. There are no valves present inside of the arteries in the human body.

What Are Veins?

Veins are another type of important blood vessel present inside the body. But they don’t originate from the heart of the human body. They start to originate from the body’s organs & then move towards the heart. The capillaries are the originating area of the veins in the body. From the small capillaries, small venules are produced. They are the branches of the veins. When the venules started becoming the full-sized vein, they come close to the skin. It carries deoxygenated blood from the organ to the heart. As there is no muscular layer present, the veins need to depend upon the valves for pumping blood.

Types of Veins

There are two types of veins:

• Pulmonary Veins: Pulmonary veins are the blood channels responsible for transporting the heart’s oxygen-rich blood from the lungs. The pulmonary circuit of the human body includes pulmonary veins. The blood is transported between the heart and the lungs by this network of blood arteries. In this circuit, the pulmonary arteries are also included.
• Systemic Veins: Blood is moved through systemic veins from body tissue to the right atrium of the heart. Due to the oxygen having been consumed for metabolic processes in the tissue cells, this blood has less oxygen in it. Systemic veins are further classified into deep veins, superficial veins, and connecting veins.

Characteristics Of Veins

Following are some of the characteristics of veins:

1. Veins are mainly located near the skin. Hence, the veins are easily accessible from the outside.
2. Veins carry deoxygenated blood from the organs to the heart inside the human body.
3. The walls of the veins are very thin. There is no muscular layer present inside the veins.
4. In Veins, there are valves present for the pumping of blood toward the heart in the human body.

FAQs on Arteries and Veins

1. What is the major difference Between Arteries and Veins?

Answer:

The arteries are responsible for transferring oxygenated blood from the heart to various organs. On the other hand, veins transport the body’s deoxygenated blood to the heart for oxygenation.

2. What is an Artery?

Answer:

An artery is a blood vessel present in the human body which carries oxygenated blood from the heart to different body organs without using any valves. It helps to make the cells of any organ fresh by providing pure blood.

3. What is a Vein?

Answer:

A vein is another type of blood vessel that works completely different manner from the artery. It brings deoxygenated blood from the body organs to the heart for the purification purpose. In this way, the organ cells get rid of polluted blood present in them.

4. What are the Main Arteries of the Heart?

Answer:

The left main and right coronary arteries are the two major coronary arteries.

• LMCA, or left main coronary artery. The left atrium and left ventricle of the heart get blood from the left main coronary artery.
• RCA, or right coronary artery.

5. Name the Largest Vein Present in the Human Body.

Answer:

The largest vein in the human body is Vena Cava. It brings polluted deoxygenated blood from the upper part of the body to the heart in humans.