- Section 1 Ageing population and policy
- Section 2 Key concepts in care of older adults
- Section 3 Principles and organization of care
- Section 4 Age-related biological changes, altered physiology, and vulnerability to diseases and chronic conditions
- Section 5 Geriatric syndromes in clinical practice
- Section 6 Nutrition and metabolism
- Section 7 Mobility disorders: prevention, impact, and compensation
- Section 8 Infections in older adults: epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management
- Chapter 79 Immunosenescence and infectious diseases
- Chapter 80 Epidemiology of infection in elderly populations in various settings
- Chapter 81 Pneumonia and respiratory tract infections
- Chapter 82 Tuberculosis in old age
- Chapter 83 Bone and periprosthetic joint infections in older adults
- Chapter 84 Infective endocarditis
- Chapter 85 Ageing with HIV
- Chapter 86 Healthcare-associated infections and emergence of antibiotic resistance
- Chapter 87 Healthcare-associated infections and infection control
- Chapter 88 Vaccines against viral infections
- Chapter 89 Integration of vaccination of older adults in a life course programme
- Section 9 Cancer: epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management
- Section 10 Vascular diseases: epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management
- Section 11 Neurological disorders: epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management
- Section 12 Cognitive decline and dementia in older adults: epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management
- Section 13 Mental health of older adults
- Section 14 Management of common medical conditions: epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management
- Section 15 Palliative medicine and end-of-life care
- Section 16 Healthy ageing
(p. 607) Immunosenescence and infectious diseases
- Chapter:
- (p. 607) Immunosenescence and infectious diseases
- Author(s):
Michel Moutschen
, Henri Martens
, and Vincent Geenen
- DOI:
- 10.1093/med/9780198701590.003.0079
In this chapter, we briefly review the principal modes of interactions taking place between the host’s immune system and the principal groups of microorganisms. One of the principal features of immunosenescence is its links to thymus involution, with subsequent loss of diversity of the repertoire of naïve T-cells. This has a major impact on the adaptative immune responses developed against newly encountered pathogens. Interestingly, more ubiquitous mechanisms associated with the ageing process itself could also have an impact on innate immunity. Defective autophagy impairs the clearance of intracellular pathogens and age-related defects of the ubiquitination-proteasome pathway concur to blunt antiviral responses. In summary, healthy ageing is associated with subtle impairments of innate and adaptive immunity directed against all groups of pathogens. The presence of comorbid states often extorts a synergistic effect on the susceptibility to infectious diseases.
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- Section 1 Ageing population and policy
- Section 2 Key concepts in care of older adults
- Section 3 Principles and organization of care
- Section 4 Age-related biological changes, altered physiology, and vulnerability to diseases and chronic conditions
- Section 5 Geriatric syndromes in clinical practice
- Section 6 Nutrition and metabolism
- Section 7 Mobility disorders: prevention, impact, and compensation
- Section 8 Infections in older adults: epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management
- Chapter 79 Immunosenescence and infectious diseases
- Chapter 80 Epidemiology of infection in elderly populations in various settings
- Chapter 81 Pneumonia and respiratory tract infections
- Chapter 82 Tuberculosis in old age
- Chapter 83 Bone and periprosthetic joint infections in older adults
- Chapter 84 Infective endocarditis
- Chapter 85 Ageing with HIV
- Chapter 86 Healthcare-associated infections and emergence of antibiotic resistance
- Chapter 87 Healthcare-associated infections and infection control
- Chapter 88 Vaccines against viral infections
- Chapter 89 Integration of vaccination of older adults in a life course programme
- Section 9 Cancer: epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management
- Section 10 Vascular diseases: epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management
- Section 11 Neurological disorders: epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management
- Section 12 Cognitive decline and dementia in older adults: epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management
- Section 13 Mental health of older adults
- Section 14 Management of common medical conditions: epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management
- Section 15 Palliative medicine and end-of-life care
- Section 16 Healthy ageing