THe circulatory system
The circulatory system is a transport system of tubes consisting a pump and a valve which enforce one way flow of blood! I'll explain using a diagram!
The diagram above is perfect to describe the circulatory system! It shows the blood network in our body! Also, beware that the diagram of a human system is facing you, therefore the right side you see would actually be the left side and the left side you see is actually the right side. Don't get confused! Now, spend a minute observing the diagram. Watch the color pattern and the different organs shown in the diagram. What do you notice?
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Did you realize how the red colour is only present on the right side of the diagram and that the blue is only present on the left? Did you notice where the heart and the lungs are and how the circulatory system is connected to the organs shown in the diagram? If you have, then good job! To begin with, I'll tell you why there is a colour difference! The red colour on the right side represents oxygenated blood! It travels around the body through the circulatory system in order to distribute the oxygen and nutrients to our muscles and organs so that they can function properly! This is why we need a circulatory system. Without it, our muscles and organs wouldn't gain any oxygen and nutrients and therefore die!
BUT WHY DOES THE COLOUR OF THE BLOOD CHANGE WHEN TRANSFERRED FROM THE ARTERY TO THE VEIN?
Well, why don't we expand to where the blue blood and red blood connects in the circulatory system?
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Did you realize how the red colour is only present on the right side of the diagram and that the blue is only present on the left? Did you notice where the heart and the lungs are and how the circulatory system is connected to the organs shown in the diagram? If you have, then good job! To begin with, I'll tell you why there is a colour difference! The red colour on the right side represents oxygenated blood! It travels around the body through the circulatory system in order to distribute the oxygen and nutrients to our muscles and organs so that they can function properly! This is why we need a circulatory system. Without it, our muscles and organs wouldn't gain any oxygen and nutrients and therefore die!
BUT WHY DOES THE COLOUR OF THE BLOOD CHANGE WHEN TRANSFERRED FROM THE ARTERY TO THE VEIN?
Well, why don't we expand to where the blue blood and red blood connects in the circulatory system?
What you see on the left, is a blood capillary. About.biology.com defines capillaries as a tiny blood vessel which connects arteries and veins. The website also states that the capillaries are common in tissues and organs which carry out metabolic activity. If you observe the diagram on the left, you can see that half of the capillary network connecting to the vein is blue. This is because of the diffusion of gaseous exchange which occurs in the capillaries. As the oxygenated blood from the artery flows to the capillary, oxygen is diffused through the thin capillary walls. The blood becomes deoxygenated, which is what the blue colour of the diagram represents! The diffused oxygen then goes to the organ or tissue which require the oxygen. In return, carbon dioxide is diffused into the capillaries to the blood from the tissues or organs. Therefore, the blood which used to carry oxygen ends up carrying carbon dioxide after passing the capillaries. This blood continues to flow and continues its journey in the veins!
HOW DOES THE CIRCULATORY SYSTEM CONTINUE?
Eventually the deoxygenated blood will enter the right side of your heart and flow towards capillaries of the lungs. There, the blood gets oxygenated again by the gaseous exchange as explained previously and then flows into the heart and to the arteries once again (See Respiratory System) The heart is essential in the circulatory system, because it pumps the blood to move around the system and contains valves to make sure the that there is no back flow of blood! |
hiv effect on the heart
As mentioned from the intro, blood contains the most HIV out of the fluids of our body. From that alone, we can presume that the circulatory system is greatly affected by the virus. Instead of the talking about the HIV effect on blood vessels and the capillaries, I will be talking about the heart! HIV can damage one's heart severely. HIV infects tend to have chronic inflammation and more lipase on the arteries, which increases the risk of clots and even CHD(Coronary Heart Disease), a disease which is caused by the plaque in the arteries which prevent blood flow. In addition, the risk of obtaining diabetes increases as a HIV infect. Therefore, it is very careful for the HIV positive people to look after themselves thoroughly. A behavior which HIV positive people should definitely not do is smoking. Taking heart.org's statistics into account, around 70% of HIV infects smoke. Smoking should be neglected for those who desire a healthy heart, especially for HIV infected people, because it contributes to blood clotting and to CHD.
The heart is an essential organ of our body. Without it, we cannot survive. Our blood wouldn't be able to circulate and the whole system would be broken down. This is why it is vital that we take good care of our heart! :)