Genetic factors affecting immunological responses in aging individuals

Abstract

It is now widely accepted that the immunological status of elderly individuals is altered as compared to that of younger individuals. Immunological phenomena have wide-ranging implications including the susceptibility and responses of elderly individuals to infections, the responses to immunoprophylaxis, the occurrence of auto-immune phenomena and the increased frequency of malignant conditions. Some believe that old age is the commonest cause of immunodeficiency and others have gone so far as to propose that alterations in immunological mechanisms are the underlying causes of aging. Many have chosen to study age-related immunological changes in their own right without addressing the question of whether they are the causes or the consequences of aging.