Short-term Regulation of Blood Pressure

Short-term Regulation of Blood Pressure

Blood pressure is used to measure how well the cardiovascular system is functioning. It is a measure of the forces that are within the cardio-vascular center during the pumping of the blood from the heart. Blood pressure is vital in our body as it helps give our body organs enough nutrients and blood they need. Very high blood pressure can damage the blood vessels. It is, therefore, important that our bodies maintain healthy blood pressure at all times. In this paper, we will look at the short-term control of blood pressure, and some of the problems likely to experience when the blood pressure control is lost. Blood pressure can be measured manually using a stethoscope or using an automated blood pressure monitor. There is the systolic- heart pressure during contraction, and the diastolic pressure- heart pressure immediately after one contraction.

The cardiovascular center plays a crucial role in maintaining the body through nutrients and hormone transportation. It also plays a significant role in the removal of waste products from the body organs. The cardiovascular center forms an integral part of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and its role in regulating cardiac input. The cardiovascular center is part of the brain and is located in the medulla oblongata. It is made up of three main components that are; the cardio inhibitor center, the vasomotor center, and the cardio accelerator center. The cardioinhibitory center is responsible for slowing down the cardiac function. It does this by lowering the stroke volume and the heart rate through parasympathetic stimulation. The vasomotor center, on the other hand, controls the contractions of smooth muscles in the tunica media. It also controls vessel tone that, in turn, affects the flow and pressure of blood, thus affecting cardiac output. The cardio accelerator center component, according to REF, stimulates the heart function by regulating stroke volume and heart rate through sympathetic stimulation. This is done from the cardiac accelerator nerve.

The cardiovascular center is known to respond to various stimuli. REF notes that chemoreceptors detect changes in the pH (acidity as a result of the accumulation of carbon dioxide within the tissues when exercising), or hormones such as norepinephrine and epinephrine.

The nervous system does short-term control of blood pressure. Baroreceptors that detect any changes in blood pressure are located in the arch of the carotid sinus and aorta. The baroreceptors send sinuses to the cardiovascular center to regulate the blood pressure. Once there is increased pressure in the arteries, the walls of the blood vessels are stretched, thus triggering the baroreceptors to send feedback to the autonomic nervous system. The Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) then reduces the contractions in the cardiac and the heart rate, thus lowering blood pressure. This is done via the vagus nerve. Baroreceptors detect decreased strength in the arteries, thus triggering a sympathetic response. With this, the contractions of cardiac muscles are stimulated, and the heart rate increases, thus increasing the blood pressure. REF observes that baroreceptors cannot be used to regulate long term blood pressure.

REF asserts that vasoconstrictors and vasodilators of the blood vessels chemically control the blood pressure. Vasodilation is the widening of the blood vessels, while vasoconstriction is the narrowing of the blood vessels. Arterial pressure is influenced by several physical factors like exercise, diet, alcohol abuse, stress, obesity, and disease. People must try and maintain healthy blood pressure in their bodies, failure to which may result in chronic diseases like hypertension, hypotension, and heart failure.

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