Osmosis video - Atrophy, aplasia, and hypoplasia

Atrophy, aplasia, and hypoplasia all refer to degeneration or poor growth of cells and tissues. Atrophy refers to the reduction in size of a tissue, or organ, after it had been normally formed and attained its normal growth. With aplasia there is a complete congenital lack of the cells, tissue or organ, whereas in hypoplasia, precursor cells are present, but they do not develop into their intended organs during embryogenesis. All three conditions can be caused by a variety of factors, including disease, injury, or genetic abnormalities