Difference between Veins and Arteries

What are Veins?

Veins are blood vessels that carry non-oxygenated blood from capillaries to the heart. It carries carbon dioxide and metabolic waste from tissues to the lungs, kidneys, or liver. There are veins that carry oxygen-rich blood such as the pulmonary veins, responsible for carrying oxygenated blood from the lungs to the cavities on the left side of the heart so that it carries it to the rest of the body. There are more veins in the body than arteries, and their exact location is much more variable from person to person than arteries. Veins are large-capacity vessels and contain about 70% of the blood volume. They are made up of three layers:

• Internal, intimate, or endothelial.
• Average or muscle.
• External or adventitious.

Some veins have a propulsive function and have musculature in the middle region and in the adventitial zone.

What are the Arteries?

Arteries are the blood vessels that carry blood from the heart to the capillaries in the body. They arise from a ventricle or have resistant and elastic walls. Its function is to deliver oxygen and nutrients to cells. In general, in developed countries, the main causes of death are myocardial infarction and stroke, both caused by the deterioration of the arteries. The arteries are membranous, elastic, branching ducts responsible for distributing the blood expelled through the ventricular chambers of the heart. Each artery has three layers:

• Internal or intimate.
• Half.
• External or adventitious.

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Veins vs Arteries

Difference between Veins and Arteries in points

• Arteries have thicker walls than veins and are stiffer. They carry oxygenated blood from the heart to the tissues.
• Veins are larger than their accompanying arteries and have a very thin wall.
• The arteries direct blood flow from the heart to the tissues.
• The veins return the bloody flow from the tissues to the heart.
• The arteries can present pathological conditions such as plaques.
• Calcification of the veins is rare and can occur due to endophlebo sclerosis or the calcification of residual thrombotic material.