end organ

noun

: a structure forming the end of a neural path and consisting of an effector or a receptor with its associated nerve terminations

Examples of end organ in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The health conditions listed include lung disease, cardiovascular disease, diabetes with end organ damage, severe obesity, neurological or neuromuscular conditions, advanced chronic kidney disease, liver disorder, or blood disorders. —Helen Branswell, STAT, 26 June 2024

All reflexes follow a looping nerve response: an arc toward the central nervous system, called the afferent limb, and an arc away from the central nervous system to the end organ, termed the efferent limb. —Christopher Linstrom, Discover Magazine, 31 Jan. 2011

Word History

First Known Use

1875, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

end-organ

1 of 2 adjective

: of or relating to an organ (as the liver or kidney) that is ultimately affected by a chronic or progressive disease or condition

diabetic end-organ damage

predictions of end-organ function and failure in severe sepsis

—G. J. Slotman

end organ

2 of 2 noun

: a structure forming the peripheral terminus of a path of nerve conduction and consisting of an effector or a receptor with its associated nerve terminations