Cell Injury and Adaptation

These flashcards cover the key terms and definitions related to cell injury and adaptation, including examples of atrophy, hypertrophy, hyperplasia, metaplasia, necrosis types, and calcification.

Atrophy

A decrease in size or wasting away of a body part or tissue.

Physiologic Atrophy

Natural shrinkage or reduction, such as thymus shrinkage at puberty or uterus and breasts after menopause.

Pathologic Atrophy

Atrophy resulting from disease, such as muscle atrophy from immobilization or brain atrophy from reduced blood flow.

Hypertrophy

An increase in the size of an organ or tissue through the enlargement of its cells.

Physiologic Hypertrophy

Enlargement due to normal physiological processes, e.g., skeletal muscle growth after exercise.

Pathologic Hypertrophy

Abnormal enlargement, such as left ventricular hypertrophy in response to high blood pressure.

Hyperplasia

An increase in the number of cells in an organ or tissue.

Physiologic Hyperplasia

Normal increase, such as increased red blood cells at high altitudes or during pregnancy.

Pathologic Hyperplasia

Abnormal increase, such as endometrial hyperplasia due to hormonal imbalance.

Metaplasia

The transformation of one differentiated cell type to another.

Squamous Metaplasia

Transformation seen in smokers where airway columnar epithelium becomes squamous epithelium.

Apoptosis

Programmed cell death, a normal physiological process.

Coagulative Necrosis

A form of necrosis typically seen in myocardial infarction.

Liquefactive Necrosis

A type of necrosis characterized by the transformation of tissue into a liquid viscous mass.

Caseous Necrosis

Necrosis often associated with tuberculosis.

Fat Necrosis

Necrosis associated with pancreatic damage.

Dystrophic Calcification

Calcium deposits that occur in damaged or necrotic tissues.

Metastatic Calcification

An abnormal deposition of calcium salts due to increased serum calcium levels.