What does the word atrophy mean?
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Decrease in the size of a cell, tissue, organ, or multiple organs, associated with a variety of pathological conditions such as abnormal cellular changes, ischemia, malnutrition, or hormonal changes.
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Progressive and morbid diminution in the bulk of the whole body or of a part. Atrophy is generally symptomatic. Any tissue or organ thus affected is said to be atrophied.
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[ Latin] A wasting away or diminution in the size of a part, due either to disappearance of some of its anatomical elements( Numerical a. or to simple lessening of their size( Simple a. . A. is due to diminution in the supply of blood to a part or in the power of assimilation in the latter. It regularly results from prolonged disuse of a part( A. of disuse), which may be pathological, as in paralyzed muscles, or physiological, as in fetal organs which are no longer of service to the organism( Physiological a.). When affecting the whole body it is called General a., then being due to some general interference with nutrition or to the degenerative processes attending old age( Senile a.). A. of a hollow organ like the heart may be associated with either dilatation( Eccentric a.) or contraction( Concentric a.) of the cavity of the latter; or the cavity may be unchanged in size( Simple a.). Brown a., see Brown. Acute yellow a., see Yellow. Progressive muscular a., a chronic disease characterized by a. of successive groups of muscles, causing peculiar deformity and distortion, and finally producing death by involvement of the respiratory muscles or of the respiratory center; due to degeneration of the anterior gray cornea of the cord, the anterior nerve roots, and the pyramidal tracts. A variety is amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Tonic a., muscular a. associated with rigidity.
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Usage examples for atrophy
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