vasodilation problem

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bluelamin

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so nitric oxide induces vasodilation which results in an increase in arterial blood volume and a corresponding decrease in blood pressure. how does this make sense? if pressure is dependent on force/area and there's a greater volume of blood passing then wouldnt that mean that pressure exerted on the blood vessel walls would be greater??
 
NO has less effect on intravascular fluid volume, it is a vasodilator (as you said). It functions to relax vascular smooth muscle tone.

Therefore, with a greater cross-sectional area and unchanging volume, the pressure exerted on the vascular wall will decrease.
 
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i see your logic. but this is from a kaplan test question and they said that there is an increase in arterial blood volume. so does that imply that vasodilation always leads to a decrease in pressure?
 
actually the area im referring to is the area of the blood vessel wall itself but you're referring to the cross sectional area of the vessel.
 
so nitric oxide induces vasodilation which results in an increase in arterial blood volume and a corresponding decrease in blood pressure. how does this make sense? if pressure is dependent on force/area and there's a greater volume of blood passing then wouldnt that mean that pressure exerted on the blood vessel walls would be greater??

Why do you assume that greater volume = greater force?
 
Uhm.... vasodilation leads to increased arterial blood volume? Please explain.

As for the pressure, vasodilation leads to increased flow rate. Per Bernoulli's principle, increased flow rate leads to decreased pressure.
 
could it also be thought about like this: vasodilation leads to decreased resistance and since resistance is proportional to pressure then the pressure will also decrease?
 
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