Why Does Decreasing Arteriolar Resistance Lead to Oedema?

  • Thread starter Thread starter briton
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Physiology
AI Thread Summary
Decreasing arteriolar resistance leads to increased blood flow into capillaries, which results in higher capillary hydrostatic pressure. This elevated pressure enhances filtration, contributing to the development of edema. The relationship between resistance and flow is critical; as arterioles relax and resistance decreases, the flow rate increases, allowing more fluid to filter out of the capillaries. This process contrasts with the initial assumption that lower resistance would decrease pressure and filtration. Understanding this mechanism is essential for grasping the dynamics of fluid movement in the vascular system.
briton
Messages
30
Reaction score
0
can someone help me understand why decreasing arteriolar resistance will (increase filtration and..) result in oedema?
I thought that decreasing resistance decreases pressure so filtration decreases


but, all I've got in my notes is that constricting arterioles increases the resistance and downstream blood (capillaries) loose pressure and in a book it says high precapillary resistance shields the capillary from arterial pressure. I don't understand how this is..
 
Biology news on Phys.org
briton said:
can someone help me understand why decreasing arteriolar resistance will (increase filtration and..) result in oedema?
I thought that decreasing resistance decreases pressure so filtration decreases

Arteriolar have smooth muscle that allow them to contract and alter the resistance of blood flow as resistance is inversely proportional to the 4th power radius (Poiselle's Laminar Flow eqn.) When arteriolar's decrease their resistance via relaxation of surrounding smooth muscle, the capillaries will receive blood with an increase flow rate. The key idea here is that filtration and absorbtion occurs in the capillaries and not in the arteriolar blood vessels. Applying the Pressure = flow x resistance equation here shows that the increase flow rate leads to an increased capillary hydrostatic pressure and leads to increased filtration. Hope that helps, I curtailed the explanation on account that you are a current mini expert in the making.
 
Here is a related thread that may provide additional insight.
 
https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/body-dysmorphia/ Most people have some mild apprehension about their body, such as one thinks their nose is too big, hair too straight or curvy. At the extreme, cases such as this, are difficult to completely understand. https://www.msn.com/en-ca/health/other/why-would-someone-want-to-amputate-healthy-limbs/ar-AA1MrQK7?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=68ce4014b1fe4953b0b4bd22ef471ab9&ei=78 they feel like they're an amputee in the body of a regular person "For...
Thread 'Did they discover another descendant of homo erectus?'
The study provides critical new insights into the African Humid Period, a time between 14,500 and 5,000 years ago when the Sahara desert was a green savanna, rich in water bodies that facilitated human habitation and the spread of pastoralism. Later aridification turned this region into the world's largest desert. Due to the extreme aridity of the region today, DNA preservation is poor, making this pioneering ancient DNA study all the more significant. Genomic analyses reveal that the...
Back
Top