Fulton Ross B, Varga Steven M
Department of Microbiology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA, Tel.: +1 319 335 8433.
Aging health. 2009 Dec 1;5(6):775. doi: 10.2217/ahe.09.69.
Severe acute respiratory disease caused by respiratory virus infections in individuals aged 65 years and older and in high-risk adults, such as those with chronic cardiopulmonary disorders, is associated with increased hospitalization and mortality rates. Epidemiological studies have identified influenza virus and respiratory syncytial virus as the most frequent causes of virus-induced respiratory disease in elderly and high-risk adults. Studies in both humans and animal models have established fundamental defects in cell-mediated and humoral immune responses in aged individuals. However, it is not well understood how age specifically alters the immune response to respiratory pathogens. In this review, we will focus our discussion on the major causative agents of severe respiratory virus infections in elderly and high-risk adults and the age-associated defects in the immune response that probably contribute to the increased disease severity observed in these populations.
65岁及以上的老年人以及患有慢性心肺疾病等高危成年人感染呼吸道病毒后引发的严重急性呼吸道疾病，与住院率和死亡率上升有关。流行病学研究已确定流感病毒和呼吸道合胞病毒是老年人及高危成年人中病毒诱发呼吸道疾病的最常见病因。对人类和动物模型的研究均证实，老年人的细胞介导免疫反应和体液免疫反应存在根本性缺陷。然而，年龄如何具体改变对呼吸道病原体的免疫反应，目前尚不清楚。在本综述中，我们将重点讨论老年人及高危成年人中严重呼吸道病毒感染的主要病原体，以及可能导致这些人群疾病严重程度增加的与年龄相关的免疫反应缺陷。
