What Causes Atrophy?
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Definition
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Atrophy is defined as the wasting away of body tissues or organs.
Basics
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There are many body tissues that may experience atrophy, although many people associate atrophy with problems of the muscles. Causes of atrophy will depend on the body system or body tissue involved, such as skin atrophy, vaginal, muscular and more.
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Muscle Atrophy
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Muscle atrophy has two types, each generally describing the underlying cause of the symptoms: disuse atrophy and neurogenic atrophy.
Disuse atrophy may result simply from not using certain muscles often enough for them to have good muscle tone. As muscle tone is lost, muscle atrophy can set in. People who are bedridden due to injury or illness may experience muscle atrophy on a generalized basis. This type of muscle atrophy can be reversed with good nutrition and adequate physical activity (University of Maryland Medical Center) (UMMC).
Neurogenic atrophy is the result of a disease process that affects the nerves. Unlike disuse atrophy which develops slowly, neurogenic atrophy has a rapid onset (UMMC). Some disease conditions or medical incidents that may lead to neurogenic atrophy are amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, Lou Gehrig's disease); stroke; polio; Guillain-Barre syndrome; osteoarthritis; injury; poor nutrition and others.
Vaginal Atrophy
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Referred to also as atrophic vaginitis, vaginal atrophy presents as thinning and inflammation of the vaginal walls due to decreased amounts of estrogen in the body. This most commonly occurs in women after menopause, but may happen any time during the life cycle if estrogen levels decline (Mayo Clinic).
This condition can make sexual intercourse painful for the women who have it and may also interfere with optimum urinary system function, leading to urinary incontinence and increased urinary tract infections (Mayo Clinic).
Skin Atrophy
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In this condition, the skin becomes thin, resembling tracing paper (Merck). Possible causes of atrophy of the skin include chronic exposure to sunlight, aging, chronic use of strong topical corticosteroid medications, and some inflammatory conditions such as lupus erythematosus and some skin cancers (Merck).
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