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Review
. 2017 Dec;31(4):593-608.
doi: 10.1016/j.idc.2017.07.017.

Influence of Aging and Environment on Presentation of Infection in Older Adults

Nadim G El Chakhtoura  1 , Robert A Bonomo  2 , Robin L P Jump  3
Affiliations
Review

Influence of Aging and Environment on Presentation of Infection in Older Adults

Nadim G El Chakhtoura et al. Infect Dis Clin North Am. 2017 Dec.

Abstract

In older adults, pathophysiologic, clinical, and environmental factors all affect the presentation of infections. We explore how age-related changes influence the manifestation and evaluation of infections in this population. Specific topics include immunosenescence, age-related organ-specific physiologic changes, and frailty. We also describe clinical factors influencing infection risk and presentation in older adults, including temperature regulation, cognitive decline, and malnutrition. Finally, we discuss the influence of the setting in which older adults reside on the clinical evaluation of infection. Understanding the influence of all these changes may facilitate the prevention, early recognition, and treatment of infections in older adults.

Keywords: Frailty; Immunosenescence; Malnutrition; Older adults; Thermoregulation.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure statement:

NEC has no conflicts of interest.

RAB: AstraZeneca: Grant Investigator/recipient, Merck: Grant Investigator/recipient

RLPJ: Pfizer: Grant investigator/recipient. Steris: Grant investigator/recipient

Figures

Figure
Figure
Antigen-specific clonal expansion of T-cells in older adults leads to an increased proportion of replicative senescent cell populations, filling the immunological space and resulting in decreased repertoire diversity.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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