Artery vs Vein – Difference and Comparison

What is Artery?

Artery, arteries in the plural, is the blood vessel of an animal body that carries blood from the heart to other parts of the body. They are tube-shaped vessels that carry oxygen-infused blood from the heart.

Arteries are located deep in the body. It protects them from getting damaged easily. Because damage to the artery can cause blood to squirt out. Blood flows in the artery at high pressure.

The longest artery in the human body is called the ‘Aorta’. It begins from the heart and first goes to the neck. Then curves and goes down to the groin. Arteries have smaller branches all over the body. These branches are called arterioles.

Arteries have a thick and elastic muscular walls. They have no valves. The pressure from the heart ensures that the blood only flows in one direction. Arteries are reddish in color.

Even though the main job of the artery is to carry the oxygenated blood to other parts of the body, the only exception is the Pulmonary and Umbilical artery. The pulmonary artery carries deoxygenated blood lungs and the umbilical artery carries deoxygenated blood placenta to the heart.

What is Vein?

The vein is the blood vessel in animals that carry deoxygenated blood from the body tissue and brain to the heart.

The veins have valves in them to make sure the blood does not flow backward. The blood flows at low pressure, so valves are needed to make sure one-way flow.

As blood flows at a slow speed in veins, damage in vain can cause a pooling of blood.

The veins are classified into a few categories. Superficial veins, deep veins, pulmonary veins, and systemic veins. Most of the veins are close to the skin, except the deep vein.

In the human body, 65% to 75% of the blood remains in the veins at a time. The color of the veins is bluish because of the low oxygen level in the blood.

The veins are classified in different ways. Superficial and deep, pulmonary and systematic, etc. While most veins carry deoxygenated blood back to the heart, the pulmonary vein, like its artery counterpart, does the opposite. This vein delivers oxygenated blood from the lungs to the heart.

Difference Between Artery and Vein

Both the artery and vein in an animal body. But the artery carries oxygen-rich blood to tissues, lungs, and the brain from the other heart. The vein carries deoxygenated blood back to the heart.

The artery has a deep red color and the vein has a dark blue tone to them because of its presence and lack of oxygen level.

The pulmonary artery and vein do the opposite of the other artery and veins. While most artery carries oxygen-rich blood to the body, the pulmonary artery carries deoxygenated blood to the lungs. On the other hand, the pulmonary vein, unlike any other vein, carries oxygen-infused blood to the heart.

The veins are wider than the artery. The artery has muscular walls and is more rigid than the veins. The veins have collapsible walls and are flexible.

Comparison Between Artery and Vein