How does circulation take place

The contractions of the chambers make the sound of heartbeats. The right side of the heart The right upper chamber atrium takes in deoxygenated blood that is loaded with carbon dioxide. The blood is squeezed down into the right lower chamber ventricle and taken by an artery to the lungs where the carbon dioxide is replaced with oxygen. The left side of the heart The oxygenated blood travels back to the heart, this time entering the left upper chamber atrium.

It is pumped into the left lower chamber ventricle and then into the aorta an artery. The blood starts its journey around the body once more. Blood vessels Blood vessels have a range of different sizes and structures, depending on their role in the body.

Arteries Oxygenated blood is pumped from the heart along arteries, which are muscular. Arteries divide like tree branches until they are slender. The largest artery is the aorta, which connects to the heart and picks up oxygenated blood from the left ventricle. The only artery that picks up deoxygenated blood is the pulmonary artery, which runs between the heart and lungs. Capillaries The arteries eventually divide down into the smallest blood vessel, the capillary.

Capillaries are so small that blood cells can only move through them one at a time. Oxygen and food nutrients pass from these capillaries to the cells. Capillaries are also connected to veins, so wastes from the cells can be transferred to the blood. Veins Veins have one-way valves instead of muscles, to stop blood from running back the wrong way. Generally, veins carry deoxygenated blood from the body to the heart, where it can be sent to the lungs.

The exception is the network of pulmonary veins, which take oxygenated blood from the lungs to the heart.

Blood pressure Blood pressure refers to the amount of pressure inside the circulatory system as the blood is pumped around. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile.

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Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. The circulatory system, also known as the cardiovascular system, is a simple loop which starts, and ends, with your heart.

It is a closed system, meaning blood does not enter or leave the system during its journey from your heart to your body and back again. In such a system, a continuous flow of the same liquid can be pumped through the loop again and again. Your blood is vital to your well-being and circulates nutrients including electrolytes, oxygen, carbon dioxide and amino acids throughout your body. Your heart is responsible for the majority of the circulatory system's function and is where the process begins.

The circulatory system begins in your right atrium, the upper right-hand chamber of your heart. Blood moves from the right side of your heart through your lungs to get rid of carbon dioxide and pick up oxygen, and then returns to the left side of your heart, ending up in the left ventricle. The left ventricle is the strongest part of the heart, since it must pump blood out to the rest of the body. If the clot can be dissolved within a few hours, damage to the heart can be reduced.

Heart attacks are rare in kids and teens. Hypercholesterolemia high cholesterol. Having too much cholesterol in the blood, also known as hypercholesterolemia, is a major risk factor for heart disease and can lead to a heart attack. Cholesterol is carried in the bloodstream by lipoproteins. High blood pressure hypertension. Over time, high blood pressure can damage the heart, arteries, and other body organs. Symptoms can include headache, nosebleeds, dizziness, and lightheadedness. Infants, kids, and teens can have high blood pressure, which may be caused by genetic factors, excess body weight, diet, lack of exercise, and diseases such as heart disease or kidney disease.

Kawasaki disease. Also known as mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome, Kawasaki disease affects the mucous membranes the lining of the mouth and breathing passages , the skin, and the lymph nodes part of the immune system.

It can also lead to vasculitis, an inflammation of the blood vessels. This can affect all major arteries in the body — including the coronary arteries. When coronary arteries become inflamed, a child can develop aneurysms, which are weakened and bulging spots on the walls of arteries. This increases the risk of a blood clot forming in this weakened area, which can block the artery, possibly leading to a heart attack.

In addition to the coronary arteries, the heart muscle, lining, valves, or the outer membrane that surrounds the heart can become inflamed. Arrhythmias or abnormal functioning of some heart valves can occur. Kawasaki disease has surpassed rheumatic fever as the leading cause of acquired heart disease in children in the United States.

Rheumatic heart disease. Usually the complication of an untreated strep throat infection, rheumatic fever can lead to permanent heart damage and even death. Most common in kids between 5 and 15 years of age, it begins when antibodies the body produces to fight the strep infection begin to attack other parts of the body.

They react to tissues in the heart valves as though they were the strep bacteria and cause the heart valves to thicken and scar. Inflammation and weakening of the heart muscle may also occur.

Usually, when strep throat infections are promptly treated with antibiotics, this condition can be avoided. Strokes occur when the blood supply to the brain is cut off or when a blood vessel in the brain bursts and spills blood into an area of the brain, causing damage to brain cells. Children or infants who have experienced stroke may be suddenly numb or weak, especially on one side of the body, and they may experience a sudden severe headache, nausea or vomiting, and difficulty seeing, speaking, walking, or moving.

During childhood, strokes are rare. Getting plenty of exercise, eating a nutritious diet, maintaining a healthy weight, and getting regular medical checkups are the best ways to help keep the heart healthy and avoid long-term problems like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and heart disease.

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