Review on immunosenescence

Abstract

The improvements of socio-environmental conditions, medical care and quality of life have caused a general improvement in the health status of the population and a consequent reduction of morbidity and mortality, resulting in an overall increased life-expectancy. The role of immunosenescence was negligible in the past, when the human lifespan was 40–50 years, and its impact on morbidity and mortality has emerged in combination with the extension of lifespan. Immunosenescence results from multifactorial processes that act on all components of the immune system. The changes associated with immunosenescence are playing an increasingly important role in the emergence of a series of age-related pathologies, conditioning the present epidemiology of old people.

A Systematic Literature Review of Cerebrospinal Fluid Biomarkers in Delirium

“…These are common problems in studies of delirium pathophysiology. It is important that control groups are age-matched, to control for physiological changes with age; age-specific reference ranges for most biomarkers in CSF have not been determined, and many of these systems including the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and immune system change with age [35][36][37] . Also, unless a biomarker is known only to originate from the CNS, co-measurement of the biomarker in a paired serum sample helps to estab-lish whether it has been produced predominantly in the CNS or whether high peripheral levels may have led, in some cases, to increased passage into the CNS, for example in the event of blood-brain barrier compromise in sepsis [38,39] .…”

Allergy and Aging: An Old/New Emerging Health Issue

“…The progressive decline of pulmonary function in elderly patients with allergic asthma depends on age, duration of allergic disease, local and systemic comorbidities (metabolic syndrome, obesity, atherosclerosis, among others) and recurrent exacerbations triggered by repeated respiratory infections. The poorer prognosis and higher death rates of asthma in aged individuals also depend on the chronic systemic inflammation typical of senescence which underlies the frailty syndrome typical for aging [ 9 ]. Since aged people at least in industrialized countries spend the majority of their time indoors, in elderly patients those suffering from allergic rhinitis and asthma, the sensitization to indoor allergens, to whom they are mainly exposed, have a relevant role [ 51 ].…”

“…Immunosenescence refers to changes of immune function observed with aging and tissue structure modifications typical of advanced age [9,10]. Concurrent diseases, polydrug therapy and adverse drug reactions could be frequent additional risk factors.…”

“…Two aspects occur in parallel in the onset of allergic diseases during aging: the individual, genetic and epigenetic influenced, immunosenescence, and the external "risk factors" including, for example, internal diseases; their respective interference might affect the development and the type of allergic reactions. Immunosenescence refers to changes of immune function observed with aging and tissue structure modifications typical of advanced age [ 9 , 10 ]. Concurrent diseases, polydrug therapy and adverse drug reactions could be frequent additional risk factors.…”