Hypertrophy means an increase in tissue size. It is a non-cancerous change. Another word for hypertrophy is hypertrophic. Hypertrophy typically happens because tissues respond to increased physical demands by becoming larger. When examined under the microscope, the cells in tissues that have undergone this change are larger than the cells normally found in that location. Hypertrophy can be a normal, healthy process that allows the tissue to function better or an abnormal process that leads to impaired function and disease.
Hypertrophy and hyperplasia both cause the tissue to increase in size. However, unlike hypertrophy, hyperplasia is associated with an increased number of cells not an increase in the size of each cell.