The circulatory system in a person's body is designed to circulate and oxygenate blood, deliver nutrients and remove waste products. The system is divided into three smaller components, including a person's pulmonary circulation and systemic circulation. These two divisions ensure a person's blood is continuously replenished with oxygen, removed of cellular gases, delivered to all the cells of the body and pumped into the coronary circulation system.
Function
The pulmonary system receives oxygen-poor blood from the right side of a person's heart. The lungs then simultaneously transfer oxygen into and receive cellular gases from her blood.
Systemic circulation delivers oxygen-rich blood to the rest of her body, except the heart muscle and lung cells, and returns "used" blood to the right side of her heart, according to the Franklin Institute.
Features
A person's pulmonary trunk divides into his left and right pulmonary arteries, which are the only arteries in his body that receive oxygen-poor blood. His left pulmonary artery delivers blood to his left lung and his right pulmonary artery delivers blood to his right lung. A person's pulmonary veins are four of very few veins in his body that receive oxygen-rich blood; two pulmonary veins come from each of his lungs.
The blood vessels used in systemic circulation are designed to expand and contract to push blood toward the more distal parts of his body, according to Gary Thibodeau, Ph.D., and Kevin Patton, Ph.D., in their book "Anatomy & Physiology." His systemic veins have one-way valves that prevent blood from flowing backward.
Effects
Respiratory diseases affect the ability of pulmonary circulation to oxygenate blood. If a person has bronchitis or asthma, she will not be able to inspire a sufficient amount of air. This reduces the amount of oxygen in her alveoli sacs that can diffuse into her blood. If she has emphysema, her alveoli sacs will be dysfunctional and the gases will not properly defuse between her blood and her alveoli. There will be less oxygen in her blood that can be delivered to the rest of her body.
Plaque buildup within the walls of her arteries will affect systemic circulation because an insufficient amount of blood will flow to her extremities and organs, even if she has healthy lungs. She will have difficulty performing higher intensity exercises or housework because her muscles will not get a sufficient amount of blood and oxygen.
Considerations
A person with respiratory disease should exercise in an environment that is low in air pollutants because they can stimulate irritation within his airways and lungs. This decreases swelling and inflammation in his airways thereby increasing the amount of air he can bring into his alveoli sacs and increasing the amount of oxygen that can diffuse into his blood.
Exercise helps reduce plaque buildup in a person's blood vessels, improving their function. Exercise can also increase the density of capillaries in his muscles. Both considerations result in a greater amount of blood flowing through his pulmonary and systemic circulation, delivering more oxygen to his muscles.
Warning
A person should check with her doctor prior to engaging in an exercise program. Increasing the intensity of physical activity may strain her pulmonary and systemic circulations, increasing her blood pressure and heart rate to dangerous levels.
References
- Franklin Institute: Pulmonary Circulation: It's All in the Lungs
- Franklin Institute: Systemic Circulation: It's All Throughout the Body
- "Anatomy & Physiology"; Gary Thibodeau, Ph.D., and Kevin Patton, Ph.D.; 2007
