Necrotic

Necrotic refers to the death of cells or tissues in an organism, often due to disease, injury, or failure of the blood supply. The process of necrosis is a form of cell injury which results in the premature death of cells in living tissue by autolysis.

Causes

Necrosis is caused by factors external to the cell or tissue, such as infection, toxins, or trauma which result in the unregulated digestion of cell components. In contrast, apoptosis is a naturally occurring programmed and targeted cause of cellular death. While apoptosis often provides beneficial effects to the organism, necrosis is almost always detrimental and can be fatal.

Types

There are several types of necrosis, each with their own causes and characteristics:

• Coagulative necrosis
• Liquefactive necrosis
• Caseous necrosis
• Fat necrosis
• Gummatous necrosis
• Haemorrhagic necrosis
• Gangrenous necrosis

Diagnosis

Necrosis is typically diagnosed by a pathologist. In the lab, the pathologist uses histology, a microscopic study of tissues, to detect the presence of necrosis. The tissue is stained with a series of dyes that highlight the necrotic tissue.

Treatment

Treatment for necrosis typically involves treating the underlying cause of the necrosis. For example, if necrosis is caused by an infection, then the infection is treated. If necrosis is caused by trauma, then the trauma is treated.

See also

• Apoptosis
• Cell death
• Gangrene
• Necroptosis

References

Necrotic Resources
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