Let's learn about the tiny blood vessels (capillaries) in our body.

Have you ever wondered how each tiny cell in our body gets food, water, and oxygen? And how those cells get rid of waste products like carbon dioxide? This whole process is like a delivery service in a city. This work is done by a network of tiny, invisible blood vessels that are spread throughout our bodies. Today, we are going to talk about those tiny, but very important blood vessels, called capillaries.

Simply put, what are these capillaries?

Capillaries are very fine, thin blood vessels found throughout our bodies. In fact, they are thinner than a strand of our hair. They are so small that even a red blood cell has to pass through one of these vessels in a line, one after the other.

Think of a delivery person who delivers groceries to your home. He delivers your groceries to your home and also takes away your trash. That's what these capillaries do. Blood, which is full of oxygen and nutrients , comes from our heart through large blood vessels (arteries) and is delivered to every cell in our body. Then, they collect carbon dioxide and other waste products released by those cells and deliver them to large blood vessels (veins) that carry blood back to the heart.

What are the main types of capillaries?

These tiny blood vessels also have three different shapes depending on the function they perform. It's good to know a little about these.

What service do these tiny blood vessels provide to our bodies?

Capillaries are the silent workers of our circulatory system. Without them, our organs would not be able to function. Let's take a look at some of the main functions they perform.

• Bone marrow: Capillaries provide a pathway for newly formed blood cells to join the bloodstream.
• Brain: These capillaries form the protective wall called the blood-brain barrier, which provides the brain with the necessary nutrition and prevents harmful toxins from entering the brain.
• Endocrine system: These are responsible for delivering hormones that control various functions in our body to the necessary organs.
• Kidneys: The kidneys filter blood, make urine, and help the body reabsorb things like water and sodium.
• Liver: Helps remove things like old, damaged red blood cells and bacteria from the blood.
• Lungs: When we breathe, the oxygen we inhale is added to the blood and the carbon dioxide in the blood is exhaled through the capillaries in the lungs.
• Lymphatic system: Helps collect excess fluid that accumulates between tissues and direct it to the lymph nodes.
• Small intestine: These capillaries transport the nutrients we get from digesting the food we eat to the cells of the body.

Common diseases and conditions affecting capillaries

Capillaries, which perform such an important function, can also be affected by various medical conditions. Although sometimes these are not very serious, there are some conditions that you should be concerned about.

• Broken capillaries: This can happen when you cough or vomit too hard. This causes small red dots (petechiae) to appear on the skin. These usually heal on their own.
• Arteriovenous malformation (AVM): A condition in which arteries and veins in the brain or spinal cord become tangled together, bypassing the capillaries.
• Capillary leak syndrome: A serious condition in which blood pressure drops suddenly. This may require emergency treatment.
• Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia: A genetic condition that causes abnormal growths in blood vessels, which can burst and bleed.
• Macular degeneration: Damage to the retina of the eye due to blood leakage from the capillaries of the eye.
• Port wine stain: A red spot on the skin that is present at birth. These are caused by capillaries not forming properly.
• Spider angioma: Small red blood vessels that spread out from one area of ​​the skin like a spider web.
• Vasculitis: Inflammation of the blood vessels. This can cause capillaries to become blocked or burst.

Check for symptoms like these

If you have a capillary disease, you may experience symptoms like these. If one or more of these persist, it is important to seek medical advice.

How do we keep our capillaries healthy?

The same things you do to keep your heart and large blood vessels healthy are also good for the health of these tiny capillaries. Try to incorporate these habits into your life.

Good things to do:

• Exercise: Do some form of exercise that makes you sweat, at least 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. Something like walking, running, or cycling is good.
• Maintain a healthy weight: It is very important to maintain a healthy weight for your height.
• Avoid smoking: Smoking and other tobacco products cause great damage to blood vessels.
• Limit alcohol and caffeine: Limit alcohol consumption and beverages containing high levels of caffeine (tea, coffee).
• Get your eyes checked: Regular eye exams can help detect problems with the eye's capillaries early.

Conditions to be controlled:

If you have these conditions, it is essential to talk to your doctor and get them well-managed.

• Diabetes
• High cholesterol
• High blood pressure
• Stress

When should you see a doctor?

Often, a doctor can detect these problems before you even have symptoms, such as during annual checkups. That's why it's important to get regular checkups.

Also, if you experience the following symptoms, see your doctor immediately.

• If the blood vessels in the skin appear to have burst.
• If the blood vessels in the legs appear swollen and enlarged.
• If you experience numbness or loss of sensation on one side of the body.
• If you experience pain in your legs even after a little exercise.
• If you experience a sudden change in vision or blurred vision.

Although we don't think much about these tiny capillaries in our daily lives, they play a vital role in keeping our bodies healthy. By following a healthy lifestyle, we can keep our entire circulatory system, including these tiny capillaries, healthy.

Capillaries, blood vessels, circulatory system, arteries, veins, blood vessels