Davenport R John
SAGE KE, Santa Cruz, California, USA.
Sci Aging Knowledge Environ. 2003 Jun 11;2003(23):OA1. doi: 10.1126/sageke.2003.23.oa1.
As people get older, their immune systems falter. The elderly are more susceptible to infections than youngsters are, and hyperactive inflammatory responses appear to contribute to some age-associated illnesses, including Alzheimer's disease and atherosclerosis. Investigating the effect of aging on the immune system was once a scientific stepchild, but card-carrying immunologists are now tackling the problem head-on. Despite the immune system's complexity, researchers have started to make sense of how its components change with age. As the research progresses, scientists hope to bolster elderly people's response to infectious diseases and quiet the inflammation that can make aging a painful experience.
随着年龄的增长，人们的免疫系统会衰退。老年人比年轻人更容易受到感染，过度活跃的炎症反应似乎会导致一些与年龄相关的疾病，包括阿尔茨海默病和动脉粥样硬化。研究衰老对免疫系统的影响曾经是科学领域中不受重视的课题，但如今专业免疫学家正在直面这个问题。尽管免疫系统很复杂，但研究人员已开始弄清楚其组成部分是如何随年龄变化的。随着研究的进展，科学家们希望增强老年人对传染病的反应，并平息那些会让衰老成为痛苦经历的炎症。
