Question

What are the 5 types of blood vessels?

Answer 1

Blood vessels:

1. The networks of hollow tubes like pipes, which carry blood to and from all parts of the body, are called blood vessels.
2. These vessels carry blood in both the directions, i.e. one from the heart to all other parts and another from all body parts to the heart.
3. There are five types of blood vessels present in our body.

Five types of blood vessels are:

Arteries:

1. Arteries are the main blood vessels that carry and transport oxygenated blood or oxygen-rich blood from the heart to other parts of the body.
2. They are the strongest blood vessels with thicker walls and are muscular in nature.
3. It consists of three distinct layers, which are rigid, thicker and highly muscular.
4. Arteries are located deep within the body and are red in colour.
5. These blood vessels are with high pressure and move in a downward direction from the heart to the body tissues.

Veins:

1. Veins are thin, tube-like elastic blood vessels, present closer to the surface of the skin.
2. These translucent blood vessels are blue in colour and carry impure or deoxygenated blood from all parts of the body to heart.
3. These blood vessels are with low pressure and move in an upward direction, i.e. from the cells, tissues and other organs to the heart.
4. Compared to the arteries, veins are thin-walled.

Capillaries

1. Short and tiny blood vessels, found within the tissues are called capillaries.
2. Capillaries bring about the exchange of substances between blood and tissues.
3. These blood vessels also function by connecting arterial systems to the venous system and help in exchange of substances across cells.

Arterioles:

1. Smaller blood vessels called arterioles branch off from arteries.
2. Arterioles and arteries are both extremely flexible.
3. To maintain the blood pressure in your body, they enlarge or contract.

Venules:

1. Veins begin as little vessels called venules and gradually get bigger as they move closer to our hearts.
2. Blood is delivered to venules by capillaries.
   

Therefore, five types of blood vessels are arteries, veins, capillaries, arterioles, and venules.