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Aging
& Immune Function
The immune system helps
repair a person's DNA. It also helps prevent infections
caused by fungus, bacteria, viruses and other organisms.
Immune system functioning changes with age.
The immune system's job is to
seek out and destroy invaders that can harm the body. The
ability of the immune system to fight infections declines
with age. This does not mean that people necessarily get
sick more often. But, as they get older, the risk of illness
increases. As the immune system fails, elderly people are
subject to infections, cancer, autoimmune disorders, or
disorders directed against the body's own tissue, and to
many chronic diseases. This may be due to the natural course
of these diseases. Many diseases develop slowly and symptoms
do not show up until later in life.
With age, many of the
disease-fighting cells, called T-cells, or T lymphocytes,
lose the ability to function. The body retains the same
number of T-cells as before, but these cells are less able
to control illness than the cells were in earlier years.
Another function of the immune system is to produce
antibodies to ward off foreign invaders in the body, such as
bacteria and viruses. These antibodies produced by the
immune system are a type of protein called immunoglobulins.
As people age, their immune systems produce smaller
quantities of antibodies. This means that vaccinations such
as flu shots may provide less protection than when a person
was younger. Another problem is that the body can lose its
ability to distinguish what is foreign and what is part of
itself. When this occurs, it can lead to autoimmune disease.
It also means that the immune system cannot identify and
fight cancerous, or malignant cells. This is one of the
reasons that the risk of many cancers increases with age.
Finally, people lose nerve
endings and skin cells with age. This increases the risk of
injury. Cuts or openings in the skin allow bacteria to enter
the body. Fighting off infection further taxes the immune
system, creating a vicious cycle.
To minimize the risk of
infection and individuals should:
- keep vaccinations up to
date. Individuals should receive a pneumovax
immunization to prevent pneumonia. They should also be
immunized against hepatitis, have flu shot every year,
and get a tetanus shot every 10 years.
- exercise daily and eat a
well balanced diet
- stop smoking.
- minimize alcohol use.
- get plenty of rest.
- maintain an active
lifestyle
- implement home safety
measures to reduce the chance of injury.
Reprinted with permission
from HealthAnswers.com. |
