Hydropic Degeneration

• Hydropic degeneration often indicates severe cellular damage due to viruses.
  • Is a more severe or advanced form of cellular swelling.
• There are two types of hydropic degeneration, in which:
  1. The cells may swell up like a balloon prior to their destruction.
     • Ballooning Degeneration
  2. There is a discrete bleb (vacuole) of fluid within the cytoplasm.
     • Vacuolar Degeneration

Ballooning Degeneration

• May occur in a variety of conditions.
  • Is particularly seen in viral conditions of epithelial tissue.
• Foot and Mouth Disease is the best example.
  • Foot and Mouth virus attacks the stratum spinosum of the epithelium of the tongue and feet.
  • Affected cells balloon up with water containing the replicating virus, swelling until they burst.
    • The fluid contained in the cells then forms microvesicles (blisters) in the stratum spinosum.
      • Blisters may later burst, shedding vast quantities of the virus.
  • On bursting, the edges of the erosions look ragged.
    • Within weeks, the germinal epithelium at the base of the erosion regenerates the epithelium, leaving no trace of a scar.

Vacuolar Degeneration

• In vacuolar degeneration, excess water is transferred to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER).
• The ER swells and eventually fragments.
  • A fluid vacuole remains in the cytoplasm.
• Commonly occurs in cells that are very metabolically active and have well developed pumping mechanisms.
  • E.g. as the hepatocyte, renal tubular epithelium and pancreatic acinar cell.

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