Arteries are blood vessels in the body that carry blood away from the heart and throughout the body.
There are two types of arteries: systemic arteries and pulmonary arteries.
Pulmonary arteries carry oxygen-depleted blood from the right side of the heart to the lungs.
Illustration by Zoe Hansen for Verywell Health
Arteries also have muscles that allow them to constrict and widen to regulate blood passage and blood pressure.
Arteries are pipes that carry blood away from the heart, whereas veins carry blood toward the heart.
The aorta branches into several large and medium-sized arteries that further branch into smaller arterioles.
Eventually, blood enterscapillaries, where oxygen passes from the arteries directly into tissues.
The now oxygen-depleted blood travels through veins to theright side of the heart.
From here, it’s pumped through thepulmonary arteriesto the lungs to pick up more oxygen.
How Arteries Differ From Veins
Arteries and veins are both types of blood vessels.
However, they have several important differences.
Firstly, arteries carry blood away from the heart to the body.
Veins, on the other hand, carry blood toward the heart.
For the most part, they carry oxygen-depleted blood from the tissues in the body.
Additionally, the structure of arteries and veins has some important differences.
Arteries are thicker-walled, muscular tubes that accommodate higher pressures.
Veins, on the other hand, are thinner structures that can easily dilate.
Also, unlike arteries, veins have valves to prevent backflow of blood.
Location of Major Arteries
There are several major arteries in the body.
External Appearance
From the outside, arteries look like pulsating tubes.
However, they are a shiny white, with noticeable small blood vessels surrounding them.
This is the vasa vasorum, which supplies blood to the arteries themselves.
Atherosclerosis may impair blood flow or “clog” arteries.
Depending on the location, it can cause potentially fatal complications such asheart attackandstroke.
Several conditions can affect arteries, including aneurysm and atherosclerosis.
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