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

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.

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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