| Definition: |
The muscle system process that results in enlargement or overgrowth of all or part of a muscle organ due to an increase in the size of its muscle cells. Physiological hypertrophy is a normal process during development (it stops in cardiac muscle after adolescence) and can also be brought on in response to demand. In athletes cardiac and skeletal muscles undergo hypertrophy stimulated by increasing muscle activity on exercise. Smooth muscle cells in the uterus undergo hypertrophy during pregnancy. |