Environmental Influences on the Immune System: The Aging Immune System
The term “immunosenescence” defines gradual alterations of human immune functions associated with advancing age. Decreasing immunocompetence results in a higher susceptibility to infections and rising incidences of certain malignant and autoimmune disease
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Environmental Influences on the Immune System: The Aging Immune System Julia N. Mälzer, Axel R. Schulz, and Andreas Thiel
Contents 3.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................. 3.2 The Evolutionary Perspective ...................................................................................... 3.3 Effects on Hematopoietic Stem Cells and Telomeres .................................................. 3.4 Aging of the Innate Immune System ........................................................................... 3.5 Age-Related Changes to Adaptive Immunity .............................................................. 3.6 The Role of Persistent Viral Infections ........................................................................ 3.7 Clinical Assessment of Immunosenescence ................................................................. 3.8 Strategies to Overcome Immunosenescence ................................................................ 3.9 Vaccinations in the Elderly .......................................................................................... 3.10 Conclusion and Outlook .............................................................................................. References ...............................................................................................................................
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Introduction
Immunological competence progressively declines with age, resulting in increased susceptibility of the elderly to infection (Gavazzi and Krause 2002) and higher incidences of certain malignant and autoimmune diseases (Goronzy and Weyand 2012; Fulop et al. 2007; Jemal et al. 2011). Impaired responses to vaccines as well as increased inflammatory activity are further key features of immunological deregulations at higher age (Weinberger and Grubeck-Loebenstein 2012; Vadasz et al. 2013). The underlying biological changes for this gradual deterioration are complex, and a multitude of components of the immune system are affected. Only some of the mechanisms have been identified so far at the molecular, cellular, or systemic level. In the context of a rapidly aging human population, an enhanced understanding of
J.N. Mälzer • A.R. Schulz Regenerative Immunology and Aging, Berlin-Brandenburg Center for Regenerative Therapies (BCRT), Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany A. Thiel (*) Regenerative Immunology and Aging, Berlin-Brandenburg Center for Regenerative Therapies (BCRT), Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Virchow-Klinikum, Berlin, Germany e-mail: [email protected] © Springer-Verlag Wien 2016 C. Esser (ed.), Environmental Influences on the Immune System, DOI 10.1007/978-3-7091-1890-0_3
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the mechanisms driving “immunosenescence” is of great interest to promote healthy aging as well as to identify potential threats to it. Accelerated population aging results from increasing life expectancy as well as decli
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