Hyperemia is the congestion of blood in a specific area of the body, which can be active or reactive. Active hyperemia occurs during muscle contraction or increased activity, while reactive hyperemia occurs in response to a blockage in the veins.
Hyperemia is a condition in which blood becomes congested in a particular area of the body. It can be active or reactive.
Active hyperemia occurs during muscle contraction, which has earned it additional names, such as functional hyperemia and exercise hyperemia. Other causes include increased mental, heart, or gastrointestinal activity. With active hyperemia, blood pools in a particular organ as a result of increased blood flow caused by arteriolar smooth muscle dilation, which is often due to increased metabolism. When the organ’s metabolic activity is increased, it develops a decreased ability to vasodilate and perform vascular recruitment. This is especially true if a skeletal muscle is affected.
Active hyperemia becomes apparent within seconds of increased tissue metabolism, which also increases blood flow. This increased blood flow returns to normal when the metabolism is restored to normal. The severity of the condition is determined by how much metabolic activity has increased.
With reactive hyperemia, also known as passive hyperemia, blood pools in an organ of the body in response to a blockage in the veins that are supposed to be expelling blood. This usually occurs after a person has experienced a period of ischemia, such as arterial occlusion. This leads to a lack of oxygen and an increase in the amount of metabolic wastes that accumulate in the organ.
Reactive hyperemia can occur after a tourniquet is applied to a person’s limb and then removed. It can also occur when a person’s blood vessels become blocked, such as during surgery, and then released. If a person experiences coronary occlusions, such as those experienced with coronary vasospasm, reactive hyperemia can occur. Experiencing coronary occlusion for only a few brief seconds places high metabolic demands on the contracting myocardium, which results in pronounced blood congestion. The longer a person experiences coronary artery occlusion, the more severe the condition will be and the longer it will last.
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