Medicine questions >>>> What is hyperplasia?

What is hyperplasia?

In medical practice, such a phenomenon as hyperplasia is often encountered. When we talk about hyperplasia, we mean the processes of tissue proliferation due to an increase in the number of structural elements of a given tissue as a result of reproduction. When talking about cell proliferation, they use the term "tissue proliferation".

With hyperplasia, all structural elements of the tissue that have appeared in abundance have the same structure and the correct intracellular structure, characteristic of this type of tissue.

Hyperplasia can result from many factors of both external and intracellular origin, which have a stimulating effect aimed at the reproduction of structural elements of the tissue. Hormonal disruptions, metabolic disturbances, disturbances in neurohumoral regulation, exposure to infectious agents, disturbance of regenerative processes - this is an incomplete list of reasons that can cause tissue hyperplasia.

Hyperplasia can occur in various organs and tissues: hyperplasia of tooth enamel, hyperplasia of the mucous membranes of the oral cavity, nasopharynx (adenoids), placental hyperplasia, endometrial hyperplasia, mammary hyperplasia (mastopathy), prostatic hyperplasia (prostate adenoma), hyperplasia of the gastrointestinal tract tissues (polyplasia) , bladder, etc.

There are two types of tissue hyperplasia: physiological and pathological.

Physiological hyperplasia does not pose a danger, but only is the result of a hypertrophied course of regenerative processes that carry the meaning of restoration and compensation of lost tissue parts.

Pathological hyperplasia can disrupt the functioning of organs and tissues, cause abnormal growths and change the appearance of organs and tissues.

There is metaplasia, which leads to the proliferation of tissues with a modified cellular structure. This is a dangerous condition that can be reversible or irreversible. Tissue metaplasia can be caused by tissue trauma, prolonged chemical exposure to tissue, inflammatory processes, infections and endocrine disorders, and many other factors. Reversible metaplasia leads to the restoration of the morphological structures of the tissue upon termination of the influence of the factors causing this pathology. Irreversible metaplasia leads to the development of benign and malignant neoplasms.