Which term describes a decrease in muscle mass due to disuse or injury?

Which term describes a decrease in muscle mass due to disuse or injury?

• A. Hyperplasia
• B. Hypertrophy
• C. Atrophy
• D. Dysplasia

Answer: (C)

A decrease in muscle mass caused by not using the muscle or by injury is called atrophy. When muscles aren’t loaded regularly or when nerve signals are disrupted, the body reduces muscle protein synthesis and can increase protein breakdown, leading to shrinking muscle fibers. This differs from hypertrophy, which is an increase in muscle fiber size from training, hyperplasia, which would be an increase in cell number, and dysplasia, which is abnormal development. So atrophy best describes this situation.

A decrease in muscle mass caused by not using the muscle or by injury is called atrophy. When muscles aren’t loaded regularly or when nerve signals are disrupted, the body reduces muscle protein synthesis and can increase protein breakdown, leading to shrinking muscle fibers. This differs from hypertrophy, which is an increase in muscle fiber size from training, hyperplasia, which would be an increase in cell number, and dysplasia, which is abnormal development. So atrophy best describes this situation.