Arteries and veins are two main types of blood vessels that form the circulatory system along with the heart. The circulatory system is a closed system that begins and ends at the heart and arteries and veins form a significant portion of this closed system. In this article, we will compare these two kinds of blood vessels.
What is an Artery?
Arteries are the blood vessels that carry oxygen-rich blood from the heart and transport it to other parts of the body.
What is a Vein?
Veins are the blood vessels responsible for carrying de-oxygenated blood from the body to the heart.
Diagram of Differences between Arteries and Veins
Table of Differences between Arteries and Veins
| S.No. | Basis of Difference | Arteries | Veins |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Direction of Circulation | Arteries carry blood away from the heart to the tissues of the body. | Veins carry blood from the tissues of the body to the heart. |
| 2. | Type of Blood | Arteries, except for the pulmonary artery, carry oxygenated blood. | Veins, except for the pulmonary veins, carry deoxygenated blood. |
| 3. | Type of Walls | Arteries have thick and elastic muscular walls. | Veins have thin, non-elastic and lesser muscular walls. |
| 4. | Location | Arteries are normally located deeper inside the body. | Veins are located comparatively at the outer side, beneath the skin. |
| 5. | Presence and Absence of Valves | As the heart pumps blood with force arteries do not need valves to ensure the flow of blood in one direction. This is the reason valves are absent in Arteries. | Veins contain valves that ensures one-directional flow of blood. The valves help the blood to flow against the gravity. |
| 6. | Size of Lumen | Lumen i.e. the hollow space inside the arteries is comparatively less. The internal diameter of arteries is about 4 mm. | Lumen i.e. the hollow space inside the veins is comparatively larger. The internal diameter of veins is about 5 mm. |
| 7. | Pressure of Blood | The pressure of blood flow in artery is high. | The pressure of blood flow in veins is low. |
| 8. | Color | Arteries are reddish in color. | Veins are blueish in color. |
| 9. | Types | Arteries are of two types – Pulmonary artery and Systemic artery. | Apart from Pulmonary and Systemic veins are categorized as – superficial veins and deep veins. |
| 10. | Volume | Arteries contain around 12% of total vascular capacity. | Veins contain around 60% of the total blood flow in the body. |
| 11. | Pulse | Due to the high pressure of blood flow in arteries, the pulse is detectable. | Pulse is not detectable through veins as the pressure of the flow of blood is lower in veins. |
| 12. | Walls | The walls of arteries are rigid. | The walls of veins are collapsible. |
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