Atrophy is a general physiological process, it is either the partial or complete wasting away of a part of the body or a part of the body being useless. Size of a cell, tissue or organ can be wasted away with this disorder.

Common causes of Atrophy: poor nourishment poor circulation hormonal support loss nerve supply being lost to the target organ lack of exercise disease essential to the tissue itself

Astemizole has been reported that it can prevent 97% of the muscle’s breakdown that happens in paralyzed, bedridden patients. This has been tested on mice and it showed that it obstructs the activity of a protein present in the muscle that is included in muscle atrophy. Although there are still concerns on the use of the drugs because it might affect the heart so other drugs are being sought.

In normal development: involves reduction and involution of the thymus during early childhood and in adolescence the tonsils. Breast atrophy – can happen with extended reduction of estrogen like anorexia nervosa or menopause. Testes atrophy – happens with extended utilization of sufficient exogenous sex steroid either astrogen or androgen to decrease gonadotropin discharge. Adrenal glands atrophy – through extended use of exogenous glucocorticoids like prednisone. Muscle atrophy – happens after a long period of immobility like prolonged bed rest or a body part in a cast. It can be inverted with exercise unless it is worse. For instance, astronauts must exercise for their limb muscles while they are in microgravity. Dystrophies, myosities, and motor neuron conditions – pathological atrophy of the muscles can happen because of diseases involving the motor nerves, or the muscle itself. Vaginal atrophy – occurs usually in women who are in post-menopausal women and this is caused by the decrease in estrogen levels.

atrophy