Final answer:
Compliance of a blood vessel or airway is determined by the change in volume per change in pressure, indicating the ability to expand with increased content. Blood vessel compliance affects blood flow and pressure, with factors like blood volume and viscosity playing a role. Decreased compliance due to conditions like arteriosclerosis raises hypertension and heart disease risks.
Step-by-step explanation:
The compliance of a blood vessel or an airway can be determined by measuring the change in volume per change in pressure. Compliance refers to the ability of a compartment such as a vessel or airway to expand to accommodate increased content. For blood vessels, greater compliance indicates that the vessel can effectively expand to accommodate surges in blood flow without significantly increasing resistance or blood pressure. Conversely, when vascular disease causes stiffening of arteries, it leads to decreased compliance, increased resistance to blood flow, and increased work for the heart. Similarly, lung compliance refers to the elasticity of the lungs, impacting areas such as dead space where proper ventilation or perfusion is lacking.
Factors like the volume of the blood, viscosity of the blood, and the blood vessel's length and diameter influence how blood moves from higher to lower pressure regions, affecting the overall compliance and resistance in the vascular system. Conditions like arteriosclerosis can decrease arterial compliance, raising the risk of hypertension and coronary heart disease as the heart needs to exert more pressure to overcome increased vascular resistance.