What is Hypertrophy?
Hypertrophic is a medical term that translates to enlarged, and hypertrophy would refer to enlargement of various areas of the body. These areas could include muscles, skin, appendages or organs. In this condition, at the most basic level, cell enlargement occurs. This should be considered as distinct from growth through cells dividing and creating new cells, which is frequently called hyperplasia.
A cursory web search for the term hypertrophy is likely to reveal diametrically opposed positive and negative articles concerning it. When articles discuss enlargement of the muscles, they may be on sites that deal with bodybuilding. In this case, creating hypertrophy or bigger muscles is typically desirable, and there are many tips on how to do this, in addition to lots of hormone and nutritional products for sale that promise to bulk up muscles. Yet while enlarging muscles may be desirable, especially for those interested in bodybuilding, in most cases hypertrophy of other parts of the body is essentially negative and potentially dangerous.
When heart cells get bigger, as is often the case when heart disease is present, the total heart works less efficiently, and some people suffer from conditions like hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which includes significant heart enlargement. This is a dangerous condition that can sometimes necessitate transplant or removal of part of the heart’s tissue in order to get the heart to function better.
There are many organs and glands that can become hypertrophic. The thyroid gland can become enlarged cutting down on thyroid hormone production and possibly requiring removal. Tonsils and adenoids when they get too big could be called hypertrophic. Many men as they age may suffer from the prostate getting larger which may be referred to as hypertrophy of the prostate gland.
Other areas of the body can become hypertrophic. Skin cells can enlarge, especially when injury or stretching has occurred to the skin. Some scars are basically the result of hypertrophy of the skin, which causes their unusual appearance. A few women experience extreme breast enlargement, especially during pregnancy or when they reach puberty. Not only does this hypertrophy cause discomfort, but it may also result in hypertrophic scarring on the skin with long lasting evidence of stretch marks.
Those looking to understand this condition must realize that it comes in many forms, most of them medically problematic. Though it’s not accurate to say that all forms of hypertrophy are bad, most of them can be medically significant. They may cause minor to significant problems for the person who experiences a hypertrophic condition.
Written by Tricia Ellis-Christensen
