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Secondary Response Loss

Meaning

Secondary Response Loss describes a clinical phenomenon where the initial, robust therapeutic benefit experienced from a hormonal or pharmacological intervention gradually diminishes or disappears over time. This loss of efficacy is not due to a primary failure of the drug itself but rather a downstream adaptive change within the body’s homeostatic or cellular systems. It often involves the development of receptor desensitization, pathway feedback inhibition, or compensatory physiological changes that effectively counteract the intended therapeutic action.