Barcellini W, Borghi MO, Sguotti C, Palmieri R, Frasca D, Meroni PL, Doria G, Zanussi C. Heterogeneity of immune responsiveness in healthy elderly subjects.
CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY AND IMMUNOPATHOLOGY 1988;
47:142-51. [PMID:
3127098 DOI:
10.1016/0090-1229(88)90067-0]
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Abstract
We studied a group of healthy elderly subjects (satisfying the SENIEUR Protocol admission criteria), chosen as a model of age-associated immune deficiency on the basis of their reduced skin reactivity to recall antigens. Results show that aged subjects, taken as a whole, display impaired T-cell functions: reduced blastogenetic responses to mitogens, IL-2 production, responsiveness to exogenous IL-2, and percentage of Tac positive blasts. However, the age-associated immune defect shows a wide range of impairment, even in a relatively homogeneous group of anergic/hypoergic subjects. In fact, a considerable proportion of our elderly subjects displays responses comparable with those of adult controls. These observations suggest that (a) immune deficiency is not a characteristic of aging per se; (b) cutaneous delayed hypersensitivity is not a criterion sensitive enough to identify people with age-associated immune deficit; and (c) more than one test is required to evaluate T-cell impairment in aging.
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