Skip to main content

End-Organ Resistance

Meaning

End-Organ Resistance describes a clinical state where a target tissue or organ exhibits a reduced biological response to normal or even elevated circulating levels of a specific hormone. This condition is not due to a deficiency in hormone production or transport, but rather a defect at the cellular level within the responsive tissue itself. The diminished responsiveness leads to symptoms of hormone deficiency despite normal or high hormone concentrations in the blood. A classic example is Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, where peripheral tissues become resistant to insulin’s metabolic effects.