JARGON BUSTER

SCIENTIFIC terms decoded. This week: Atrophy

ATROPHY comes from the Greek prefix ‘a-’ meaning ‘without’ and ‘trophe’ meaning ‘food’.

It is the wasting away of an organ or tissue (either completely or partially).

It’s perhaps best known in the context of muscle atrophy, often seen in patients who have restricted mobility (from hospitalisation or wheelchair use, for instance), where lack of physical activity over a long period of time leads to reduced muscle mass.

This type of muscle atrophy is called physiologic atrophy — there are two other types, pathologic and neurogenic.

Pathologic atrophy can be caused by ageing, malnutrition and diseases such as Cushing’s.

Neurogenic atrophy can result from an injury to the muscle or its nerve supply.