Many people often ask questions regarding the similarities and differences between veins and arteries. Arteries and veins are both examples of blood vessels, which are tubes of muscle that your blood flows through. Arteries carry blood away from the heart to the rest of the body. Veins push blood back to your heart. You have a complex system of connecting veins and arteries throughout your body. Blood vessels help circulate blood throughout your body. They form a complete loop, starting and ending at the heart.

The human body contains around 60 thousand miles of blood vessels. There are three types of blood vessels: arteries, veins, and capillaries. These vessels work together to form the cardiovascular system.

At Vascular Care Specialists of Los Angeles, Dr. Mathew Cheung and Dr. Peter Lin discuss the difference between arteries and veins. In this article, they also discuss some common circulation problems which can occur in arteries and veins. You will also learn some basic steps you can take to reduce the risk of getting these blood vessel disease.

‌Veins and arteries play important roles in your breathing (respiratory) and blood flow (circulatory) systems. When you breathe, you inhale oxygen from the air. Your body needs oxygen for chemical reactions that produce energy and keep you alive. Carbon dioxide is a waste product of these chemical reactions. Your body needs to get rid of the carbon dioxide, or serious health problems can happen. When you inhale, your lungs absorb the oxygen and transfer it into your blood. The high-oxygen blood enters your heart, which pumps it into your arteries throughout your body. The blood gives oxygen to cells that need it for chemical reactions, and absorbs waste carbon dioxide along the way. The high-carbon dioxide blood eventually flows back through your veins to your heart. Your heart pumps it back into your lungs where it started. Breathing out releases the extra carbon dioxide from your blood. You inhale to replenish oxygen, and the cycle starts again.

Your arteries carry high-oxygen blood away from your heart towards the rest of the body. They branch out into many smaller arteries in other parts of your body.‌ Your largest artery is the aorta. This is the first artery your blood travels through after getting new oxygen from your lungs. The aorta starts at your heart and reaches up toward your neck. Smaller arteries branch off of the aorta and go up to your head.‌ The aorta then curves back down to your chest. It continues through your abdomen and ends at your groin. Along the way, it splits off into other arteries that deliver oxygen-rich blood to your arms, legs, and the rest of your body.

Once your blood loses oxygen as it travels through your arteries, veins carry the blood back to your heart to absorb more oxygen. Your veins usually hold about 75% of all the blood flowing through your body.‌ Your largest veins are the superior and inferior vena cava. Your superior vena cava carries blood from your upper body to the heart. Your inferior vena cava carries blood from everywhere below your heart. Like arteries, these two veins branch off into many other veins throughout your body.

Unlike arteries, veins generally need to work against gravity to push blood back to your heart. Veins have valves to help with this. These are one-way pairs of flaps inside a vein. They open for blood that’s heading upwards toward the heart, and close to keep blood from flowing back downwards.‌ Muscle surrounds most veins in your body. When you walk, run, or otherwise use your muscles, they make a squeezing motion. These squeezes push against the vein and force the blood upwards toward your heart.

‌Arteries and veins work together to keep blood flowing throughout your body smoothly. They connect through structures called capillaries. Capillaries are small webs of thin tubes that connect to an artery on one side and a vein on the other.‌

You have capillaries throughout your body. Some parts of your body have more capillaries depending on how much energy they need. For example, your muscles use a lot more energy than your skin, which is why your muscles have more capillaries than your outer skin.

‌Arteries and veins both have three main layers. The innermost layer, which blood touches directly, is made of stretchy tissue. The middle layer is made of muscle tissue that helps blood vessels hold their shape. The outer layer is also stretchy, which helps vessels expand or shrink easily with varying amounts of blood flow.‌

Blood moves more quickly through your arteries. Your arteries are thicker and stretchier to be able to handle the higher pressure of blood moving through them. Your veins are thinner and less stretchy. This structure helps veins move higher amounts of blood over a longer time than arteries.

• Chronic venous insufficiency
• Deep vein thrombosis
• Excessive blood clotting
• Superficial venous thrombosis (phlebitis)
• Varicose and spider veins

• Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm
• Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm
• Coronary Artery Disease
• Carotid Artery Disease
• Peripheral Arterial Disease
• Vertebrobasilar Disease
• Renal Vascular Disease
• Thoracic Outlet Syndrome

The peripheral arteries supply oxygenated blood to the body, and the peripheral veins lead deoxygenated blood from the capillaries in the extremities back to the heart. Sometimes small blockages build up inside your blood vessels. These blockages are called plaque. They develop when cholesterol sticks to the wall of the artery. Your immune system, sensing a problem, will send white blood cells to attack the cholesterol. This sets off a chain of reactions that leads to inflammation. In a worst-case scenario, cells form a plaque over the cholesterol, and a small blockage is formed. Sometimes they can break loose and cause a heart attack. As the plaques grow, they may block blood flow in an artery entirely. This blocked blood flow to the lower extremities is effectively Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD).

Peripheral artery disease doesn’t always require a procedure. There are lifestyle changes and medications that can help promote healthy arteries. Here are some ways you can promote healthy arteries:

• Eating a healthy diet.
• Exercising regularly, such as a walking or cycling.
• Get your cholesterol checked.
• Quit smoking.
• Drink plenty of water for hydration.

At Vascular Care Specialists of Los Angeles, we strive to provide the best service, care, and results possible. If you have circulation problem related to your arteries or veins and would like to seek consultation with a vascular surgeon, give us a call at 626-275-9566 to schedule an appointment. You can also visit us at www.vcsla.com for more information.