Body Fluids and Circulation

Body Fluids and Circulation explains how the body transports nutrients, oxygen, and waste using fluids like blood and lymph. It includes the study of the heart, blood vessels, and how blood flows through the body. Understanding this is important for learning concepts in human physiology. This topic helps us understand how the body works and is important for learning biology and preparing for exams like NEET.

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This Story also Contains

1. Important Topics of Chapter Body Fluids and Circulation
2. Overview of the Chapter
3. Types of Body fluids
4. What is a Circulatory System?
5. Blood Groups
6. Human Circulatory System
7. Disorders of the Circulatory System
8. Tips, Tricks, and Strategies to Prepare For Body Fluids and Circulation
9. Types of Questions and Weightage of Body Fluids and Circulation in Exams
10. Prescribed Books for Body Fluids and Circulation

Important Topics of Chapter Body Fluids and Circulation

• Blood
• Human Lymphatic System
• Disorders of the Circulatory System
• Important Concepts - Double Circulation In Humans, Regulation of Cardiac Activity

Overview of the Chapter

Body fluids are the important body liquids that either circulate or are drained out from the body. There are two types, intracellular which is the fluid inside cells and extracellular, which contains lymph, blood plasma, and fluids surrounding organs. The main fluids in the body are blood, gastric juice, cerebrospinal fluid, saliva, semen, mucus, and urine, each of which has a distinct function, such as transportation, digestion, protection, or waste removal.

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Types of Body fluids

• Without a doubt, blood and lymph are the most important body fluids. Human blood is the fluid of connective tissue that includes white blood cells, red blood cells, plasma, and platelets.
• Due to the presence of haemoglobin, blood is usually red.
• Blood flows in two ways - from the heart to the muscle and from the muscles to the heart.
• Lymph, on the other hand, is a clear fluid that circulates within the lymphatic arteries and is also known as tissue fluid and interstitial fluid.

Functions of Body Fluids

These are among the few functions of body fluids.

• Transport of essential nutrients and oxygen to all vital organs.
• Removal of toxic waste.
• Body temperature control.
• Control of metabolism.

What is a Circulatory System?

The circulatory system forms it all. It's a means by which the body fluid is moved containing important substances like oxygen, nutrients, and waste around the body. Knowledge about constituents and functions of body fluids and circulatory systems is of the essence in maintaining health and identifying disorders associated with them.

Blood

• Blood is a specialized type of connective tissue. It is a strictly basic part of body fluid.
• Blood's chief functions include transportation, protection, and regulation.

Composition of Blood

Blood is composed of Plasma and formed elements

Plasma

Plasma represents the fluid part of the blood, it forms about 55% of the entire volume of blood. The prime content of the plasma is water. Besides that, it also contains proteins, electrolytes, nutrients, hormones, and waste products.

Formed Elements

The formed elements in blood are composed of erythrocytes, leucocytes, and platelets.

Erythrocytes

This is meant to carry oxygen from the place of loading, the lungs, to the different parts of the body and then return with the carbon dioxide to the lungs, which will then be exhaled.

Leucocytes

Popularly known as white blood cells, they form a part of the immune system, which fights various kinds of infections or diseases in the human body system.

Blood Platelets

These are small portions of cells whose responsibility is taking crucial clotting of blood and healing of wounds.

Blood Groups

Blood grouping becomes very important and relevant not only for safe blood transfusions but also for understanding the aspects of immune responses.

ABO Blood Group System

The ABO blood group system occurs in four different varieties or groups where the antigens of the red blood cells are distinguished A, B, AB, and O blood groups.

Rh Grouping

The Rh grouping is based upon either the presence or absence of an antigen known by the name Rh factor. According to the presence of this type of antigen, a person is Rh-positive or RH-negative.

Coagulation of Blood

Coagulation is a process during which blood vessels dilate and blood clots are formed, attempting to prevent the excessive loss of blood if a vessel is injured.

It is a complex cascade of events that results in the conversion of fibrinogen to fibrin, forming the meshwork of the clot.

Lymph

Lymph is the clear fluid moving through a lymph vessel, which belongs to the immune system.

It cleanses the tissues of waste and toxins or other debris with the transportation of WBCs in and out of the lymph nodes.

Circulatory Pathways

The two types of circulatory systems are open and closed.

Open Circulatory System

Blood is such that it does not always circulate within blood vessels. it flows freely off cavities, bathing organs directly.

Closed Circulatory System

Blood remains inside vessels, leading to further efficiency of substance transportation. The human circulatory system along with all other vertebrates works this way.

Human Circulatory System

The circulatory system of humans consists of the heart, the system of blood vessels, and blood.

Heart Structure

The heart is a muscular organ with a four-chambered structure, including two atria and two ventricles. It pumps the blood across the body parts.

Nodal Tissues

Various nodes and tissues present in the heart are the sinoatrial and atrioventricular nodes. These nodes give rise to impulses, which regulate the heartbeat.

Blood Vessels

Blood vessels are made up of arteries, veins, and capillaries. Blood leaves the heart through the arteries and returns to the heart through veins, in turn, the capillaries are the sites of delivery of material from the blood to the tissues and picking up material from the tissues.

Cardiac Cycle

• It is the process of one heartbeat, involving contraction and relaxation, that continuously circulates the blood throughout the body.

Electrocardiogram ECG

• The ECG is a diagnostic method measuring the heart's electrical activity.
• It is useful in making various cardiac diagnoses and measures the rhythm of heartbeats in an individual.

Double Circulation

Double circulation is one of the features of the human circulatory system where the blood passes through the heart twice in one complete cycle. This consists of pulmonary and systemic circulations.

Pulmonary Circulation

It is the flow of blood from the heart to the lungs and backwards to the heart. This is the process by which blood gets oxygenated and carbon dioxide removed.

Systemic Circulation

The flow of oxygenated blood from the heart around the rest of the body and part deoxygenated blood back to the heart was another form of circulation.

Hepatic Portal System

Veins forming a system that carries blood from the gastrointestinal tract and spleen to the liver were used to have waste detoxified and nutrients processed.

Regulation of Cardiac Activity

• The autonomic nervous system along with the endocrine system controls cardiac activity.

• The sympathetic nervous system brings about an increase in heart rate, and the force of contraction, whereas the parasympathetic decreases heart rate.

Disorders of the Circulatory System

There could be different disorders of the circulatory system, thus hindering the path towards well-being.

Hypertension or High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure means the pressure of the blood up against the walls of the arteries is very strong. Hypertension increases the risk of heart disease and stroke.

Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)

It refers to the reduction or blockage of coronary arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle. Reduced blood supply to the heart makes the organ more prone to a heart attack.

Angina

Angina is a chest discomfort arising from poor blood circulation through the heart's muscles. It is mostly a symptom or sign of coronary heart disease.

Heart Failure

A condition in which the heart's function becomes unable to sufficiently meet the needs of the organs and tissues in the body. It results in symptoms such as shortness of breath, tiredness, and fluid retention.

Coronary Thrombosis

This is a blood clot inside one of the coronary arteries. Such thrombosis commonly leads to a heart attack.

Common NEET Questions on Body Fluids and Circulation

For NEET aspirants, it is very much necessary to master this chapter as it comes up many times in the NEET. Here are some of the question types:

Body Fluids and Circulation MCQ

Those which come as multiple-choice questions and are meant for testing knowledge about blood components and circulation pathways. Here are some examples:

Body Fluids and Circulation PYQ NEET

Previous year questions provide insight into the trend of examinations.

Here’s a table of Previous Year Questions (PYQ) from NEET related to Body Fluids and Circulation, formatted as multiple-choice questions (MCQs):

Tips, Tricks, and Strategies to Prepare For Body Fluids and Circulation

This table outlines important tips and tricks to master concepts related to body fluids and circulation in Class 11.

Types of Questions and Weightage of Body Fluids and Circulation in Exams

The table below indicates the weightage and types of questions asked on Body Fluids and Circulation in exams:

Prescribed Books for Body Fluids and Circulation

The main and most recommended learning resource for Body Fluids and Circulation for Class 11 is the NCERT Biology textbook covering all concepts as adopted in the CBSE syllabus. For further understanding, "Trueman's Elementary Biology, Volume 1" can be referred to. The other useful book is "Pradeep's Biology" which is also known for its detailed explanation and plenty of solved examples. You can access a variety of videos, articles and mock tests on this chapter from the careers360 platform. These books along with proper practice will make a great package for board exams as well as competitive exams like NEET.

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