Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
A diagram explaining factors affecting arterial pressure. Pathophysiology is a study which explains the function of the body as it relates to diseases and conditions. The pathophysiology of hypertension is an area which attempts to explain mechanistically the causes of hypertension, which is a chronic disease characterized by elevation of blood pressure.
When vasodilation causes systolic blood pressure to fall below 90 mmHg, circulatory shock is observed. [11] Vascular resistance depends on several factors, including the length of the vessel, the viscosity of blood (determined by hematocrit) and the diameter of the blood vessel. [18]
Vascular resistance is the resistance that must be overcome for blood to flow through the circulatory system.The resistance offered by the systemic circulation is known as the systemic vascular resistance or may sometimes be called by another term total peripheral resistance, while the resistance caused by the pulmonary circulation is known as the pulmonary vascular resistance.
The narrowing of the lumen can decrease renal blood flow and hence glomerular filtration rate leading to increased renin secretion and a perpetuating cycle with increasing blood pressure and decreasing kidney function. [12] The brain is another organ where hyaline arteriolosclerosis occurs prematurely in patients with high blood pressure.
The narrowing of blood vessels leads to an increase in peripheral resistance, thereby elevating blood pressure. While vasoconstriction is a normal and essential regulatory mechanism for maintaining blood pressure and redistributing blood flow during various physiological processes, its dysregulation can contribute to pathological conditions.
The tendency of the arteries and veins to stretch in response to pressure has a large effect on perfusion and blood pressure. This physically means that blood vessels with a higher compliance deform easier than lower compliance blood vessels under the same pressure and volume conditions. [ 1 ]
In the arterioles blood pressure is lower than in the major arteries. This is due to bifurcations, which cause a drop in pressure. The more bifurcations, the higher the total cross-sectional area, therefore the pressure across the surface drops. This is why [citation needed] the arterioles have the highest pressure-drop. The pressure drop of ...
When blood pressure is increased in the blood vessels and the blood vessels distend, they react with a constriction; this is the Bayliss effect. Stretch of the muscle membrane opens a stretch-activated ion channel. The cells then become depolarized and this results in a Ca 2+ signal and triggers muscle contraction. No action potential is ...