COVID-19 Is Only One of the Compelling Arguments for Developing the Means of Immune System Rejuvenation

Infectious disease is a far greater risk for the old than for the young. But then so is cancer. Both are conditions driven by the age-related failure of immune system competence, a growing inability to respond to vaccines and to destroy pathogens and errant cells, a state known as immunosenescence. Further, the failing immune system becomes inappropriately overactive at the same time as losing its efficacy, generating chronic inflammation that disrupts normal tissue function and spurs the development of numerous age-related diseases. Restoring a youthful immune function would be enormously beneficial and greatly reduce mortality and age-related disease across the board in older people. While this is a topic of interest in the research community, nowhere near enough resources are directed to achieving this goal, given the enormous cost and suffering that results from immune aging. Unlike fine wine, the human body does not improve with age. Hearing fades, skin sags, joints give out. Even the body's immune system loses some of its vigour. This phenomenon, known as immunosenescence, might explain why older age groups are so hard-hit by COVID-19. And there is another troubling implication: vaccines, which incite the immune system to fight off invaders, often perform poorly in older people. The best strategy for quelling the pandemic might fail in exactly the group that needs it most. The human immune system is mind-bendingly complex, and ageing affects nearly every...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs