by Hypoplasia (or hypo-plasia) is a term used to describe the abnormal or underdevelopment of certain tissues, organs
While hypoplasia usually refers to excessive cellular growth after birth, hyperplasia refers to underdevelopment of certain organs. (Atrophy, or overdevelopment, of already existing tissues is technically the opposite of hypoplasia and hypertrophy.
In a hypoplastic condition, all or most cells in an organ are in an abnormal or underdeveloped state. In a normal condition, all the cells in an organ are in a fully developed state. Normally, the cells in an organ will grow and divide in order to form all the important parts of the organ like the kidneys or the brain. When there are no cells growing or dividing at a rapid rate in an organ, the organ fails to develop properly. This is the basic reason why underdeveloped organs frequently cause diseases, pain and other symptoms in humans, including kidney failure, heart attack, cancer, and heart disease.
Some conditions in which an organ is underdeveloped due to underproduction of growth factors include a person with dwarfism, congenital hypoplasia in newborns, an infant with a heart defect, and tumors in the heart. In addition to underdevelopment of some cells or organs, there is also an abnormality in the size, shape, or position of cells. This includes tumors that form in the lungs and in the brain.
Hypoplastic conditions occur in several different types of tissues or organs. They often affect the cardiovascular system and the lungs. Aortic stenosis, or a narrowing of the aortic valve, and cardiomyopathy, affect the heart muscle. Endocarditis and heart valves disease are two of the most common causes of hypoplasia in the lungs. Other conditions that may cause the tissue to undergo or become abnormal include: Legg-Calve-Perthes disease, an inherited disorder, which results in the production of abnormal amounts of immature bone; and Wilson disease, which occurs when an abnormal gene is found in the nucleus of the sperm.
In many cases of hypoplasia, cells are growing abnormally fast because of defective mitochondria or "power plants" for the production of energy. The defective mitochondria produce less energy in the organ than usual, which in turn causes them to produce more abnormalities. Cells that have defects in this area of the cell production are called "mitochondrial aberrations." These cells are responsible for many of the signs and symptoms of hypoplasia that occur in children.
Because the tissues and organs are not adequately producing enough energy, they begin to deteriorate or die. This is the primary cause of the diseases and symptoms that result from this condition. As a result, an organ or a part of an organ stops working properly.
In some instances, however, certain types of hypoplasia are the result of damage to the tissues or organs. Damage caused by radiation treatments for cancer, for example, can cause the formation of abnormal blood vessels. Radiation treatments can also cause tissue death, resulting in tissue death and loss of a part or all function of the organ or tissue.
The term "hypoplasia" is generally used in combination with the term "abnormal growth." It is sometimes difficult for a person to understand what hypoplasia means, especially when it is used to refer to the development of tissue in children. While many people assume that the word hypoplasia simply means abnormal growth, it actually has different connotations.
If a child has been diagnosed with this condition, he or she may have to have surgery for the condition, and be given drugs to help stop the growth process. While this may seem like a lot of things, the fact is that the child may actually be just going through the normal processes of growth. When the patient is still young, however, the organs or the tissues are growing too quickly and may not be able to keep up with other organs or tissues that are developing.
The child may have to go through surgery in order to correct the problem of abnormal growth, and then he or she will need to take medicines or drugs for a period of time. This is an example of why hypoplasia is called abnormal growth. "Abnormal" does not mean that the child is not healthy or normal.
The only way to determine whether hypoplasia is really an abnormal growth is to determine what the causes are. If the doctors are unable to determine what is causing it, they can ask the parents about their children's past medical history and their current medical situation to determine whether there is a chance that the child could be suffering from the condition.
