1 Written Assignment Unit 5 Health Science, University of the People HS 2211-01 Human Anatomy and Physiology Sam Mo Oct 11, 2023
2 Written Assignment Unit 5 For this assignment, I would like to present the vascular part of the structural (anatomic) change in cardiovascular structure and the possible upcoming functional (physiologic) changes that are likely to result. I do believe that almost all changes in the structure of the heart are grossly visible and obvious enough to get noticed and their consequent physiological changes are conspicuous. Therefore, I would rather choose the vascular change which is no other than the change in the arterial system; this change is quite subtle and few barely notice the anatomical change of it. Since some people also tend to neglect the importance of vascular function and construction compared to the cardiac structure and its vital role, I would like to make a difference and give arteriosclerosis a spotlight in this assignment. Arteriosclerosis is a stiffening of the arteries by definition and before describing more about arteriosclerosis, I think it is also better to gain insight into atherosclerosis which is a more specific term for the build-up of plaque in the walls of the vessel and it is a specific subtype of arteriosclerosis (Betts et al., 2018). Nunez, (2022) also stated the cause of arteriosclerosis; this hardening and stiffening process of the artery, especially elastic artery is due to the loss of elastin proteins and elastic fibers in the arterial wall, specifically, the tunica media layer of the artery; tunica media is the middle layer of the artery whereas tunica intima is the innermost and tunica adventitia (tunica externa) is the outermost layer of the wall. This is in turn because of the exposure to oxidative damage.
3 Normally, as we all know, an artery facilitates adequate blood flow with ease to tissues distant from the heart despite the fluctuating blood volume thanks to its elastic property in the wall. However, when arteriosclerosis brings destruction to the elasticity of the artery, the blood flow is no longer the same as before since the vessel becomes narrow, rigid, and inflexible leading to reduced compliance, increased total peripheral vascular resistance, and increased blood pressure. Besides, some detrimental outcomes such as ischemia (reduced blood flow) and hypoxia (decreased supply of oxygen to the tissues) due to vessel narrowing, and hypertension and coronary heart disease because of persistent attempts to generate a pressure great enough to overcome the elevating resistance are produced as a result (Betts et al., 2018). According to (Betts et al., 2018), compliance is the ability of any compartment to expand to accommodate increased content; the greater the compliance of an artery, the more effectively it is able to expand to accommodate surges in blood flow without increased resistance or blood pressure. Meanwhile, resistance is a phenomenon which is one of the contributing factors that impede or slow the blood flow, and blood flow refers to the movement of blood through a vessel, tissue, or