Haddy R I
Department of Family Practice, Wright State University School of Medicine, Dayton, Ohio.
J Fam Pract. 1988 Oct;27(4):409-13.
There is increasing clinical and laboratory evidence of decline in the immune system in the elderly patient with a simultaneous rise in the incidence of certain infections. Along with the involution of the thymus gland with age, there is evidence of decline in both T- and B-lymphocyte function and also in delayed hypersensitivity. In addition, there is evidence of an increase in various autoantibodies as a person ages. In recent years evidence has been presented of a genetic basis to this declining system. Because of these changes and because severe infections present more subtly in the elderly patient than in the young, the physician's suspicion for serious infections in the elderly should be heightened and immunization programs in the elderly adhered to.
越来越多的临床和实验室证据表明，老年患者的免疫系统功能在下降，与此同时某些感染的发病率却在上升。随着年龄的增长胸腺发生退化，有证据表明T淋巴细胞和B淋巴细胞功能均下降，迟发型超敏反应也减弱。此外，有证据表明，随着年龄的增长，各种自身抗体的数量会增加。近年来，已有证据表明这种免疫系统衰退存在遗传基础。由于这些变化，并且严重感染在老年患者中比在年轻患者中表现得更为隐匿，因此医生应提高对老年患者严重感染的警惕，并坚持对老年人实施免疫接种计划。
