The circulatory system is
made up of the heart muscle and the miles and miles of blood vessels that
circulate blood throughout the body. It's one of the most vital components of
the body when it comes to survival and normal function. The heart acts as the
pump to move blood through the body, and the blood provides nutrients to and
removes waste from virtually every cell throughout the body.
More on the
Circulatory System
The heart is made up of
four chambers: a right and left atrium and a right and left ventricle. The
atria are the chambers that take blood in from the rest of the body, and the
ventricles are the chambers that pump the blood back out into the body. A
number of valves in the heart keep the blood flowing in the correct direction,
into and out of the heart, from and back to the body.
Among the blood vessels,
veins are the vessels that carry blood toward the heart, and arteries carry
blood away from the heart. Arteries and veins get smaller and smaller as they
branch out and subdivide into various portions of the body. The smallest veins,
which exchange material with body tissues and cells and also connect the
arteries to the veins, are known as capillaries.
Problems in the
Circulatory System
Various problems can affect
the circulatory system, but heart disease is a main one. Overall, heart disease
is the No. 1 killer of both men and women in the United States. Other problems
related to circulation include a heart attack, when the heart suddenly stops
working, or a stroke, caused when a blood vessel bursts or gets blocked. Some
individuals develop an arrhythmia, which is an irregular heartbeat, or have
valve problems, when the blood does not pump properly through the heart. Heart
failure occurs when the heart cannot pump enough blood to meet the body’s
demands. And there are also diseases that directly affect the blood vessels of
the body, such as peripheral artery disease. These are just a few of the many
diseases that can affect the body’s circulatory system.
SOURCES: Heart
Foundation; American Heart Association; U.S. National Cancer Institute
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