WHAT IS A TARGET ORGAN? - MEDICINE - 2025

A target organ is the name by which any of the organs that make up the human body are named, when they react to any stimulus, whether internal or external. In other words, it is the organ that is most affected and damaged by a disease, a drug or a prolonged exposure to toxic substances.

Thus, a target organ is nothing more than any organ of the body that is damaged or on which some treatment has to be carried out. It is also known as the white organ.

Causes that affect the target organs

The target organs react to certain stimuli, these can be due to diseases, medical treatments or the exposure of substances that affect the body.

Treatments

1- Radiation therapy

Radiation therapy kills tumor cells using radiation. The affected target organ is directly attacked and its cell cycle is altered, thus achieving the elimination of cells that have a high level of growth.

With this technique, the tissues and organs around where the radiation is produced can also be affected. Thus, in this case, both the irradiated organs and the adjacent organs become the target organs.

Organs with slow cell turnover, such as the liver and vascular endothelium, atrophy more slowly than organs with rapid cell turnover, such as the bone marrow, epidermis, or lens.

2- Nuclear medicine

It is a subspecialty within the field of medical imaging diagnosis. Very small amounts of radioactive material are used in order to be able to diagnose a variety of diseases, such as some types of cancer, heart, gastrointestinal, endocrine diseases etc.

Small amounts of radiosondes are often introduced into the bloodstream either intravenously, by inhalation, or by ingestion. These radiosondes deliver energy in the form of gamma rays that are detected and create images of the inside of the body.

Ionizing radiation can cause changes in the structure of cells, leading to long-term development of cancer, especially thyroid cancer and leukemia.

Diseases

1- cancer

Cancer is perhaps one of the diseases that causes the most damage to different organs. Each type of cancer has its own target organ.

There are tumors that more often affect organs such as the breasts or lungs than others, such as the brain or heart.

Environmental factors, genetic and hereditary predisposition create a greater predisposition to develop cancer.

Target organs according to type of cancer

• Uterine Cancer: It develops in the lining of the cervix, just at the bottom of the uterus.
• Breast cancer: it usually begins in the tissue of the glands and then spreads to the breasts. It can also spread to lymph nodes in the armpits as well as to other parts of the body.
• Prostate Cancer: It occurs in the prostate gland that belongs to the male reproductive system.
• Colon cancer: affects the final part of the large intestine.
• Bladder cancer: it affects, as its name suggests, the bladder.
• Lung cancer: it can affect one or both lungs, it can also spread to other organs.
• Skin cancer: It occurs in the outer layers of the skin. Its most serious form is melanoma.
• Testicular cancer: located in one or both testicles.
• Leukemia: starts in the bone marrow, it can spread to other parts of the body such as the brain.
• Gallbladder cancer: affects the gallbladder as its name suggests.

These are just one example, as it is believed that there are between 100 and 200 different types of cancer.

2- diabetes

In diabetes, the body does not use or store sugar in a proper way, which causes a rise in blood sugar levels. This rise can damage some organs.

The retina becomes one of the parts of the body that can suffer the most, being considered the target organ of diabetes.

3- High blood pressure

Having chronic high blood pressure can lead to an enlarged heart, kidney failure, brain damage, and even major changes to the retina of the eye.

All these organs that can be affected are the so-called target organs. A study was conducted to analyze the impact on the target organs of 289 patients with hypertension over 40 years of age. The result was obtained that the most affected target organ was the retina.

4- stress

Stress causes an alteration in the levels of hormones in the body. This can affect the nervous system, heart rate, changes in blood pressure, kidney activity, increased glucose level, etc.

The response to stress depends on people, the body responds physiologically to certain stimuli that can lead to trigger a series of diseases.

Toxic substances

1- naphthalene

It is a solid pesticide that slowly turns into a gas at high temperatures invading the environment.

Exposure to mothballs can cause coughing, eye and respiratory irritation, nausea, headaches, vomiting, and even diarrhea.

Prolonged exposure to naphthalene can damage the liver and kidneys. The people most vulnerable to the effects of naphthalene are those who are deficient in glucose 6.

2- alcohol

The excessive intake of alcohol makes it a dangerous toxin for our body. Isolated episodes of abuse of this substance can cause gastritis and esophagitis.

If alcohol is abused, the consequences can be much more serious. In the short term, it causes direct toxicity in target organs such as the liver and pancreas, which can cause what is known as fatty liver. In the long term it causes the disease of alcoholic hepatitis and pancreatitis.

References

1. DAM Editorial team. (02 of 10 of 2016). Naphthalene poisoning. Retrieved on 05/01/2017, from umr.adam.com.
2. Well, J. (10 of 2005). Sham radiation therapy: therapeutic accuracy. Retrieved on 05/01/2017, from elhospital.com.
3. Darias Rivera, D. (nd). Impact on target organs in hypertensive patients. Recovered on 01 of 05 of 2017, from monografias.com.
4. Eusalud team. (June 16, 2015). Ionizing radiation and medicine. Retrieved on 05/01/2017, from eusalud.uninet.edu.
5. Hale, C. (2017). Alcohol toxicity. Retrieved on 05/01/2017, from mdedge.com.
6. (02 of 09 of 2010). How is end-organ damage assessed in the patient with high blood pressure? Retrieved on 05/01/2017, from answers.webmd.com.
7. Ruiz Moreno, J. (01 of 10 of 2014). The retina: the target organ of diabetes. Retrieved on 05/01/2017, from fundaciondiabetes.org.