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The veins and arteries form together with the heart, the main structures of the circulatory system, one of the most important in our body. The circulatory system is responsible for transporting and circulating blood in our organism.
Both arteries and veins are blood vessels, which are responsible for transporting blood; and although they share this characteristic, each one has a specialized structure and function that makes them different. The fundamental difference between these two structures is that the arteries carry blood from the heart to the tissues, and the veins carry blood from the tissues and capillaries to the heart.
Another difference that is usually commented about the veins and arteries is the type of blood they carry, it is often said that the veins carry blood with waste, high levels of carbon dioxide and low oxygen, while the arteries carry blood rich in oxygen and nutrients; although this is not entirely true, since the circulatory system is divided into two subsystems. In a system that includes major or systemic circulation, and a minor or pulmonary circulatory system. In the pulmonary system an inverse circulation to the main system occurs, because in this case it is the arteries that carry blood with high concentrations of carbon dioxide, but also leaving the heart, and the veins the blood with the high concentration of oxygen, entering to the heart.
Beyond its function, the arteries and veins also present physical and structural characteristics that differentiate them:
The tissue of the arteries is arranged in such a way that it allows a rapid and effective transport of the blood to all the tissues of the organism. The arteries have thicker walls than the veins, because their muscular layer is much more developed, which allows them to be more elastic and resistant, characteristic that is necessary, since they transport the blood that is pumped from the heart to a high pressure. The muscular tissue dilates and contracts responding to the needs of the organism; It contracts in places where a smaller amount of blood is needed and dilate where greater concentration is required. The arteries are responsible for carrying the oxygen taken in the lungs to the cells, which they require for their functioning.
On the other hand, the veins have a thinner and weaker muscular layer, so they do not maintain a firm tone, and they do not have the same capacity for contraction, they can expand when they contain a large amount of blood, and collapse when applied a little of pressure on these or they remain empty. The veins have a wider diameter than the arteries, which allows them to contain a greater amount of blood, and these collect blood after passing through the tissues, containing carbon dioxide.
Generally, each vein has a complementary artery, which irrigates the same area, and which, in general, carry the same name, for example, the femoral artery, which is accompanied by one or two femoral veins. Although there are always exceptions, as is the case of the jugular vein, which is accompanied by the carotid artery, and both are responsible for blood flow to the head.
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