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Blood Volume

  • 02-01-2009 12:54am
    #1
    helimachoptor
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 21,693 Mod ✭✭✭✭


    So, how does the body regulate the amount of blood in the body?

    I mean if someone puts on a lot of muscle mass, I presume they'll need more blood to feed oxygen to this new muscle tissue??


Comments

  • #2
    Kevster
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,980 ✭✭✭Kevster


    Yes, that's true, but as a child grows up, their body also needs to produc more blood as they themselves become larger. I imagine that it's regulated by pressure somehow (lower blood-pressure when there ISN'T enough blood in the circulatory system). The exchange of O2 and CO2 into and out of tissues from arterioles/venules is also regulated by pressure.


  • #3
    Prime Mover
    Closed Accounts Posts: 85 ✭✭Prime Mover


    It's mainly managed by the kidneys but there are also other parts of the body involved such as the hypothalamus and sensors in the neck arteries. It can be pretty complicated and best explained by a good physiology book but try here also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kidneys

    Also just to be clear, O2/CO2 moves in and out by diffusion down concentration gradients. The gradients are described as partial pressures (PO2/PCO2) but that is not the same as arterial pressure. As blood flow to a tissue is increased, it's PO2 will move closer to arterial PO2.


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