The key difference between coronary and carotid artery is that coronary artery is an artery that supplies oxygenated blood to heart muscles while carotid artery is a major blood vessel in the neck that supplies oxygenated blood to the brain and head.
Coronary artery and carotid artery are two main arteries that branch off from the aorta. The heart needs oxygen-rich blood to survive and functioning. Coronary arteries are the blood vessels that supply blood, oxygen and nutrient to heart. Carotid arteries are the two large blood vessels in our neck that supply brain and head with blood. Both coronary artery and carotid artery carry oxygen-rich blood. Plaque accumulation in both arteries leads to serious diseases.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Coronary Artery
3. What is Carotid Artery
4. Similarities Between Coronary and Carotid Artery
5. Side by Side Comparison – Coronary vs Carotid Artery in Tabular Form
6. Summary
What is Coronary Artery?
Similar to other organs, the heart also needs a continuous supply of oxygen and nutrients for its functioning. The coronary artery is an artery that supplies oxygenated blood to heart muscles. In other words, coronary arteries are the blood vessels that provide blood, oxygen and nutrients to our heart. Coronary arteries wrap around the heart. Therefore, coronary arteries belong to coronary circulation. The aorta branches into two main coronary arteries as the right coronary artery and left coronary artery. Right coronary artery provides blood mainly to the right side of the heart. It branches into the right marginal artery and posterior descending artery. Left coronary artery supplies blood to the left side of the heart. It branches into two arteries as circumflex artery and left anterior descending artery.
Figure 01: Coronary Arteries
When the coronary arteries narrow down, it reduces the flow of oxygen and nutrients to the heart muscle. This condition is known as coronary artery disease and it can lead to angina, heart attack and even death. Cholesterol-containing deposits (plaques) and inflammation are the major causes of coronary artery disease.
What is Carotid Artery?
The carotid artery is one of the two main arteries that run along both sides of the neck. It is a major artery that goes from heart to brain. It carries oxygen-rich blood to brain, head and face. Similar to the coronary artery, carotid artery branches off from the aorta. There are left and right carotid arteries. Each carotid artery branches off into two divisions as the internal carotid artery and the external carotid artery. The internal carotid artery supplies blood to the brain while external carotid artery supplies blood to the face and neck.
Figure 02: Carotid Artery
Carotid bulb or sinus is a widening of a carotid artery at its main branch point. There are sensory cells such as baroreceptors and chemoreceptors at carotid sinus. They regulate blood pressure. When the fatty deposits clog the carotid arteries, carotid artery diseases occur. It hinders the blood delivery to the brain and head. It increases the risk of strokes.
What are the Similarities Between Coronary and Carotid Artery?
- Coronary and carotid artery are two main arteries branch off from the aorta.
- They carry and supply oxygenated (oxygen-rich) blood.
- They are made of three layers of tissue: intima, media and adventitia.
- Plaques (fatty deposits) can clog the coronary and carotid arteries and block the blood flow.
What is the Difference Between Coronary and Carotid Artery?
Coronary arteries supply blood, oxygen and nutrients to the heart while carotid arteries supply oxygen-rich blood to the brain and head. So, this is the key difference between coronary and carotid artery. Furthermore, coronary artery disease is the disease associated with the narrowing of coronary arteries while carotid artery disease is the disease associated with the narrowing of carotid arteries.
Below is a summary tabulation of the difference between coronary and carotid artery.
Summary – Coronary vs Carotid Artery
Coronary artery and carotid artery are two main arteries that branch off from the aorta. Coronary artery supplies oxygen-rich blood to the heart while carotid artery supplies oxygen-rich blood to the bran and head. Thus, this is the key difference between coronary and carotid artery. Both carry oxygenated blood and narrowing of both arteries causes diseases due to the blocking of blood supply to each organ. Plaque formation and inflammation are two common causes of coronary artery disease and carotid artery disease.
Reference:
1. Coronary Artery Disease: Causes, Symptoms, And Treatments”. Healthline, 2020, Available here.
2. Beckerman, James. “Carotid Artery (Human Anatomy): Picture, Definition, Conditions, & More.” WebMD, WebMD, 17 May 2019, Available here.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Coronary arteries” By Coronary.pdf: Patrick J. Lynch, medical illustratorderivative work [1]: Fred the Oyster (talk)adaption and further labeling: Mikael Häggström – Coronary.pdf (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Blausen 0170 CarotidArteries” By BruceBlaus. When using this image in external sources it can be cited as:Blausen.com staff (2014). "Medical gallery of Blausen Medical 2014. WikiJournal of Medicine 1 (2). DOI:10.15347/wjm/2014.010. ISSN 2002-4436. – Own work (CC BY 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia