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Review
. 2020 Dec 14;38(52):8264-8272.
doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2020.11.002. Epub 2020 Nov 21.

Understanding immunosenescence and its impact on vaccination of older adults

Jessica C Allen  1 , Franklin R Toapanta  1 , Wilbur Chen  1 , Sharon M Tennant  2
Affiliations
Review

Understanding immunosenescence and its impact on vaccination of older adults

Jessica C Allen et al. Vaccine. .

Abstract

Older adults are more susceptible to viral and bacterial infection, and experience higher incidence and severity of infectious diseases. Although vaccination is the most logical solution in preventing infectious diseases, primary vaccine responses in individuals aged ≥65 years-old fail to generate complete protection. This is presumably attributed to immunosenescence, a term that describes functional differences associated with the immune system and natural age advancement. Both the innate and adaptive immune systems experience age-related impairments that contribute to insufficient protection following vaccination. This review addresses current knowledge of age-related changes that affect vaccine responsiveness; including the deficits in innate cell functions, dampened humoral and cell-mediated immune responses, current vaccination schedules for older adults, and concludes with potential strategies for improving vaccine efficacy specifically for this age group. Due to an age-related decline in immunity and poor vaccine responses, infectious diseases remain a burden among the aged population.

Keywords: Immune; Older adults; Senescence; Vaccine.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Schematic diagram of immune deficits in older adults. Abbreviations: DC, dendritic cell; MΦ, macrophage; TFH, T follicular helper; TCR, T cell receptor.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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