alleryStart learning →Which vessels are the primary site of both resistance and regulation of blood pressure?
AThe large elastic arteries
BThe postcapillary venules
CThe systemic arterioles
DThe continuous capillaries
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: C. The systemic arterioles
1. An arteriole has a very small lumen, so it slows blood sharply and drops pressure.
2. For that reason arterioles are named resistance vessels.
3. Neural and chemical controls set arteriolar diameter moment to moment, making them the main regulator of blood pressure.
4. Elastic arteries conduct, venules collect and capillaries exchange, so none of them holds this regulating role.
_Source: OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology (CC BY 4.0), Ch 20 "The Cardiovascular System: Blood Vessels and Circulation", section 20.1 Structure and Function of Blood Vessels_
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