Word parts
What it means
Tissue grows bigger when its cells enlarge, usually because they are working harder. Skeletal muscles hypertrophy with exercise. The heart's left ventricle thickens (left ventricular hypertrophy) after years of high blood pressure, which can make it stiff. It differs from hyperplasia, where the number of cells increases, as in benign prostatic hyperplasiabee-NINE proh-STAT-ik hy-per-PLAY-zhuhA prostate gland that has grown larger than normal, from growth that is not cancer.hyper- more than normalplas growth or formation-ia conditionFull entry .
At a glance
| Abbreviations | LVH (left ventricular hypertrophy) |
|---|---|
| Spanish | hipertrofia |
| Also written | hypertrophic, hypertrophied |
Easy to confuse with
atrophy
The wasting away or shrinking of a body part, such as a muscle or organ.
Related terms
hypertension
Blood pressure that stays higher than normal, at or above 130/80 mm Hg by current US guidelines.
hyper-
A word beginning that means above, over or more than normal.
atrophy
The wasting away or shrinking of a body part, such as a muscle or organ.
cardiomyopathy
A disease of the heart muscle itself that makes it harder for the heart to pump blood.