What is                   Hyper-Apoptosis?

Hyper-apoptosis is a fancy term for too much apoptosis. Hyper apoptosis occurs when healthy cells are performing apoptosis when they should not be.

Common Diseases

This is an incomplete list of some of some of the most common diseases that are caused my hyper-apoptosis. If the condition that you have been diagnosed with isn't on this list but your doctor explained that it is caused by hyper-apoptosis, this page may still have useful information regarding the pathophysiology behind similar disease.

Neurodegenerative Diseases

Neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), and Parkinson's disease are often linked to apoptosis. When healthy brain cells perform apoptosis it will cause a decrease in function in the affected area. This includes memory for Alzheimer's or dopamine production for Parkinson's.

AIDS

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). The virus attacks healthy immune cells and reprograms them to spread the virus. When HIV hijacks the cells, it can force the healthy cells to perform apoptosis, this is most common at later stages of the disease once it has spread throughout the body.

Ischemia

For decades ischemia related injuries where thought to include on cell necrosis, the part of the body that is ischemic will not receive adequate blood flow and the cells will die of a lack of oxygen (hypoxia). In recent studies, scientists have found that the cells around the ischemia injury will be sent into trauma induced apoptosis. These cells are salvageable if the stroke or heart attack are caught and treated early.