Name two structural differences between arteries and veins.

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Veins and Arteries are the two different blood vessel types in the circulatory system.

These are mainly involved in blood circulation throughout the body. But the blood vessels, in terms of functioning, both are different from each other.

What are Arteries?

Arteries refer to the blood vessels that carry blood away from the heart and branch to even smaller vessels.

Further, these smallest arteries, known as arterioles, are branched into the small capillaries where the nutrients, gases, and other waste molecules exchange is carried out.

What are Veins?

Veins are the blood vessels that are present throughout the body.

These are the tube-like translucent structures that perform the function of carrying out the deoxygenated blood from the tissues to the heart for the purpose of re-oxygenation.

Two structural differences between Arteries and Veins

Parameters	Arteries	Veins
Walls	Arteries have elastic, thick, and muscular walls	Veins have thin walls with a few elastic fibers.
Valves	Arteries do not have any valves	Veins have one-way valves

Arteries require thick, muscular, and elastic walls to give them strength and elasticity to cope with the oxygenated blood’s high pressure surges coming from the heart.

The elasticity permits the walls to recoil back to the original shape after being augmented in diameter to allow the blood through the surge.

Veins require valves because the blood flowing through them at low pressures further necessitates something to prevent it from going backward.

They are necessary in order to avoid blood pooling. Arteries do not require valves as the blood flows at high pressures where it cannot go backward.

Other differences between Arteries and Veins

Parameters	Arteries	Veins
Functions	Arteries are involved in carrying the oxygenated blood except for pulmonary arteries	Veins are involved in carrying deoxygenated blood except for pulmonary veins
Position	These are located deep within the body	These are peripherally located closer to the skin
Walls	These consist of three layers that are highly muscular, rigid, and thicker.	These consist of three distinct layers that are less muscular and thinner
Appearance	These are red	These are blue
Pressure rate	High pressure as the blood flows by pumping heart pressure	Low pressure as the blood flows by the veins’ capillary action
Transports	Arteries carry blood away from the heart to several parts of the body	Veins carry blood towards the heart from several parts of the body
Disorders	Arteries are generally at a greater risk of specific diseases like atherosclerosis etc	Veins are generally less susceptible to the diseases like varicose veins
Lumen	Here Lumen is narrow	Here Lumen is wide
Oxygen Level	The oxygen level is comparatively high	The oxygen level is comparatively low
Blood flow direction	The blood flow direction of arteries is in the downward direction from the heart to the blood tissues.	The blood flow direction is in the upward direction from the body tissues to the heart.
Carbon Dioxide Level	The carbon dioxide level is low	The carbon dioxide level is high
Valves	Here valves are absent	Here valves are present.

Bottom Line!

The major structural differences between the arteries and veins include:

Arteries have thick, elastic and muscular walls, whereas veins have thin walls with a few elastic fibers.
Arteries do not have any walls, whereas veins have one-way valves.

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