Peripheral resistance ; Its

regulation and effect on circulation

Factors affecting peripheral resistance

Peripheral resistance is determined by or regulated by these factors:-

 Autonomic activity
 Pharmacologic agents
 The resistance of blood flow [change in pressure between the starting point and end point]
 Blood viscosity
 length of the vessel
 Radius or diameter of the vessel
Blood viscosity affecting peripheral resistance

 Blood viscosity is a measure of the thickness of the blood.

 It is affected by the hematocrit; percentage of RBCs in blood volume.​
 When the hematocrit is high, such as for people living in high altitudes, the viscosity is
greater and the blood is thicker and stickier . The red blood cells have a more difficult time
sliding past one another  and the more difficult it is to get the fluid moving and keep it
moving.
 The more viscous the blood, the greater resistance it encounters increasing total peripheral
resistance.
 The opposite can also happen i.e. the hematocrit is low, the blood is less viscous, and there
is less resistance to blood flow.​
The affect of increased or decreased peripheral
resistance on blood circulation:-
  When the total peripheral  resistance in a vessel increases due to high blood viscosity
this  then results in decreased blood flow and hence high blood pressure because of this
greater resistance to flow, a greater pressure is required to pump the same volume of
viscous fluid.
 When there is a very much decrease in total peripheral resistance then it results in very
low blood pressure which can also lead to some harmful conditions.
​
.​

affect of length of the vessel on peripheral

resistance
 Total vessel length also affects peripheral resistance.
 TPR is affected by total blood vessel length, which changes with body size. e.g. due to
increase in weight . When a person becomes obese the length of his vessels increases as
compare when he was slim..​
 Increased fatty tissue requires more blood vessels to service it and adds to the total vessel
length in the body.
 Since friction occurs between the blood and the length of the vessels, each lengthening
vessel contributes to an overall increase in total peripheral resistance because this
resistance is occurring over a greater distance
 The longer the total vessel length, the greater the resistance encountered, and the greater
the blood pressure
The effect of increased or decreased peripheral
resistance on blood circulation:-
 Increases in peripheral resistance results in higher blood
pressure which in some cases can be fatal.
 Conversely decreases in any of these factors lead to lower
blood pressure.
affect of Radius or diameter of the vessel on
peripheral resistance
 Vessel diameter affects peripheral resistance.
 As a the diameter of a vessel gets smaller due to some structural or functional change , a
greater proportion of the fluid comes in contact with the wall of the blood vessel.
Therefore resistance to flow is increased and pressure rises.
SO in SUMMARY:-
 Larger diameter, same volume, less pressure.
 Smaller diameter, same volume, more pressure.
The effect of increased or decreased peripheral
resistance on blood circulation:-
 The increased peripheral resistance results in hypertension or high blood pressure which in
results causes a high blood circulation rate which can have adverse effect on the body.
 In the contrary manner decreased peripheral resistance results in hypotension or low blood
pressure which causes a very low blood circulation rate.
Reference

 jaypee-essentials-of-medical-physiology-6th-edition
 https://www.edises.it/file/minicd/germ002/misc/assignmentfiles/cardiovascular/Fact_Aff_
Blood_Pressure.pdf