Cell Injury and Cell Death

These flashcards cover key terms and concepts related to cell injury and cell death, vital for understanding pathology.

Necrosis

Unplanned cell death due to pathological processes, involving large groups of cells.

Apoptosis

Programmed cell death that is genetically controlled, affecting single cells or small clusters.

Atrophy

Decrease in size or number of cells due to loss of cell substance, leading to reduced organ size.

Hypertrophy

Increase in the size of cells, leading to an increase in the size of an organ, often due to increased workload.

Hyperplasia

Increase in the number of cells in an organ, often associated with hypertrophy, occurring in capable cells.

Metaplasia

Reversible replacement of one adult cell type with another, often due to environmental changes.

Reversible Cell Injury

Cell injury that can be reversed if the stressor is removed, leading to potential cell recovery.

Irreversible Cell Injury

Cell injury that leads to cell death; cannot be reversed, often resulting in necrosis or apoptosis.

Coagulative Necrosis

A form of necrosis where the structural outlines of the tissue are preserved despite cell death.

Liquefactive Necrosis

Transformation of solid tissue into a liquid mass due to complete digestion of dead cells.

Caseous Necrosis

Distinctive necrosis associated with tuberculous infections, characterized by a cheesy appearance.

Fat Necrosis

Necrosis of fat tissue often due to lipase activity, leading to the formation of calcium soaps.

Fibrinoid Necrosis

Necrotic damage to blood vessel walls, often associated with vasculitis.

Gangrenous Necrosis

Not a distinctive pattern; can be dry (coagulative necrosis) or wet (liquefactive necrosis) due to ischaemia and infection.

Free Radicals

Highly reactive species with unpaired electrons, which can cause cellular damage and contribute to various diseases.

Pathologic Calcification

Abnormal deposition of calcium salts in tissues, either dystrophic or metastatic.

Dystrophic Calcification

Calcium deposition in damaged or necrotic tissue with normal serum calcium levels.

Metastatic Calcification

Calcium deposition in normal tissues, typically due to hypercalcaemia.

Cellular Aging

The process of cellular deterioration over time, affected by intrinsic damage and extrinsic factors.