What can persistent metaplasia eventually lead to?

Persistent metaplasia occurs when one differentiated cell type is replaced by another cell type that can better tolerate a particular stressor. While this adaptation may initially serve as a protective mechanism, it also has potential consequences. Over time, if the underlying cause of the stress is not removed, the cells undergoing metaplasia may begin to show abnormal changes in size, shape, and organization, leading to dysplasia.

Dysplasia is characterized by disordered growth and can indicate a precancerous condition. It reflects a pathological alteration where cells exhibit abnormal features, such as increased nucleus-to-cytoplasm ratio, loss of normal cell architecture, and atypical mitotic figures. This is often seen in tissues that have undergone persistent metaplasia, particularly those exposed to chronic irritation or inflammation, such as the respiratory epithelium in smokers.

Hypertrophy, hypoplasia, and atrophy refer to different types of cellular changes. Hypertrophy involves an increase in cell size without an increase in cell number, hypoplasia is underdevelopment or incomplete development of a tissue or organ, and atrophy is the reduction in the size or wasting away of an organ or tissue. These are distinct processes and do not directly result from persistent met