How Blood Pressure is Regulated

[Bloodworks]

Which of the following body systems regulates blood pressure?

A. Nervous system

B. Cardiovascular system

C. Urinary system

D. Endocrine system

Thanks for the post. I spent a while looking up the answer which after a few semesters out from A&P 2 eludes me. For the question you posted I found three answers that look good but none are the one you selected (and I'd really like to know either way since my test is this Wed). I just cut and pasted some information. None of it is mine.

Blood pressure primarily regulated by the Renin Angiotensin Aldosterone system which is part of the endocrine system?? I included a link to a youtube video i found.

"This animation focuses on the renin angiotensin aldosterone system (RAAS), a classic endocrine system that helps to regulate long-term blood pressure and extracellular volume in the body"

Blood pressure primarily regulated by cardiovascular system

Control of Blood Pressure

The following mechanisms help regulate blood pressure:

• The cardiovascular center provides a rapid, neural mechanism for the regulation of blood pressure by managing cardiac output or by adjusting blood vessel diameter. Located in the medulla oblongata of the brain stem, it consists of three distinct regions:
  
  • The cardiac center stimulates cardiac output by increasing heart rate and contractility. These nerve impulses are transmitted over sympathetic cardiac nerves.
    
  • The cardiac center inhibits cardiac output by decreasing heart rate. These nerve impulses are transmitted over parasympathetic vagus nerves.
    
  • The vasomotor center regulates blood vessel diameter. Nerve impulses transmitted over sympathetic motor neurons called vasomotor nerves innervate smooth muscles in arterioles throughout the body to maintain vasomotor tone, a steady state of vasoconstriction appropriate to the region.
    

  [*]The cardiovascular center receives information about the state of the body through the following sources:

  • Baroreceptors are sensory neurons that monitor arterial blood pressure. Major baroreceptors are located in the carotid sinus (an enlarged area of the carotid artery just above its separation from the aorta), the aortic arch, and the right atrium.
    
  • Chemoreceptors are sensory neurons that monitor levels of CO ₂ and O ₂. These neurons alert the cardiovascular center when levels of O ₂ drop or levels of CO ₂ rise (which result in a drop in pH). Chemoreceptors are found in carotid bodies and aortic bodies located near the carotid sinus and aortic arch.
    
  • Higher brain regions, such as the cerebral cortex, hypothalamus, and limbic system, signal the cardiovascular center when conditions (stress, fight‐or‐flight response, hot or cold temperature) require adjustments to the blood pressure.
    

I found the below passage that sort of suggests the nervous system as being the first in the sequence.

(from http://health.howstuffworks.com/diseases-conditions/cardiovascular/blood-pressure/regulating-blood-pressure.htm )

"To control your blood pressure, your body must adjust how much blood is pumped through your heart. Your body must also adjust the amount of pressure in your blood vessels.

How Your Brain Responds. When your blood pressure begins to fall too low, a signal is sent to your brain. Your brain responds by producing chemicals called neurotransmitters. Certain neurotransmitters, called catecholamines, cause your heart to beat faster and more forcefully and cause your blood vessels to tighten. These actions increase your blood pressure.

How Your Kidneys Respond. The change in the rate and force of your beating heart also causes a change in the amount of blood flowing through your kidneys. Your kidneys react to low blood pressure by producing a chemical called renin, which causes blood vessels to tighten. Renin is converted to a chemical called angiotensin II, which further tightens your blood vessels. In addition, neurotransmitters are thought to make the kidneys produce more renin, increasing blood pressure even more."

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

The answer is: All of them.

PS: "howstuffworks" is not exactly an authoritative medical or nursing text. We hope you will be learning these concepts at a much higher level.

[HelloWish, ADN, BSN]

I think they all maintain blood pressure. However, if I were answering the question based on the answers given, I would chose urinary. I am taking A&P II and we are studying the urinary system. This comes directly from my professors notes, "The function of the system is to maintain homeostasis of the blood by controlling blood composition and pH, volume and pressure."

[Little_Bear2013]

All options do seem correct; however, if I had to choose one I would choose the endocrine system or urinary system.

Because the adrenal glands, which are an endocrine organ sit right above the kidneys & are what help control most of your BP or at least what I've been told. They secrete aldosterone as well as are needed to activate the renin-angiotensin system I & II before renin can even be secreted, while the kidneys themselves actually secrete the renin which is the enzyme that helps control extracellular volume & helps regulate BP.

If I had to choose only one answer to the question of which on 'regulates' blood pressure, I'd go with the nervous system since it is the master controller which processes information and sends out control signals.

The other systems are involved in affecting blood pressure but it all starts with the nervous system.

Kind of a lame question, though, IMO.

[Lev, MSN, RN, NP]

Can the answer be all of the above?

[ArrowRN, BSN, RN]

definitely all of the above