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Veins/Arteries
by Ne1l, May 26, 2009 11:47AM
I have difficulty keeping up with the technicalities, abbreviations etc. but I understand that
1. The arteries are what get clogged with plaque.
2. The veins don’t get clogged up.
Question #1.
Is my understanding correct?
When a vein is removed from your leg or arm to be used for the bypass grafts, it is then acting as arteries.
Question #2.
Can these vein parts then get clogged up if diet, exercise etc are not properly maintained?
1. The arteries are what get clogged with plaque.
2. The veins don’t get clogged up.
Question #1.
Is my understanding correct?
When a vein is removed from your leg or arm to be used for the bypass grafts, it is then acting as arteries.
Question #2.
Can these vein parts then get clogged up if diet, exercise etc are not properly maintained?
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Regarding your second question, veins do get affected by all the risk factors that affect the arteries when used as grafts: blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol… Many veins used in coronary bypass operation have been occluded in their turn due to these different factors.
The main differences between arteries and veins are:
1- Arteries carry oxygenated blood to the body while veins carry non-oxygenated blood to the heart (except the pulmonary arteries and veins).
2- Arterial walls are thicker and more elastic than veinous walls.
3- Arteries don’t have valves while veins do have valves.
4- Blood pressure in arteries is always higher than pressure in veins.
I hope these points will help you to understand a little more about arteries and veins.