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Review
. 2022 Jun:204:111672.
doi: 10.1016/j.mad.2022.111672. Epub 2022 Apr 1.

Immunosenescence and COVID-19

Jacek M Witkowski  1 , Tamas Fulop  2 , Ewa Bryl  3
Affiliations
Review

Immunosenescence and COVID-19

Jacek M Witkowski et al. Mech Ageing Dev. 2022 Jun.

Abstract

Ageing is associated with modified function of both innate and adaptive immunity. It is believed that changes occurring in ageing immune system are responsible for increased severity and deadliness of COVID-19 in the elderly. Although supported by statistics and epidemiology, these finding do not compute at the mechanistic level as depending solely on chronological and biological ageing. The phenomena describing changes in the aging immune system are immunosenescence and inflammageing, which develop in time depending on challenges to the individual immune system (immunobiography). Thus, "richer" immunobiography (in addition to other factors, including genetic, epigenetics or metabolic) may adversely affect the reactivity to the SARS-CoV-2 not only at later decades of life, but also earlier, in young and middle-aged individuals. On the other hand, infection with SARS-CoV-2 is affecting the function of both innate and adaptive branches of the immune system, adding to the individual immunobiography. Summarizing, immunosenescence and inflammaging may aggravate, but also may be aggravated by SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Keywords: COVID-19; Immunobiography; Immunosenescence; Inflammaging; SARS-CoV-2.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Individual dynamics of the immune system ageing, inflammaging and immunosenescence modifies the severity of infectious diseases. Faster progression and increased intensity of immunosenescence and inflammaging (black arrows) due to “richer” immunobiography (higher load of lifelong adverse challenges) may lead to earlier occurrence and higher severity of aging-related diseases (ARD) and aggravate COVID-19. Also SARS-CoV-2 infection may add its effect to the immunobiography of an individual.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Potential trajectories of development of immunosenescence, inflammaging and ageing-related diseases (ARD) depending on the age at contact with SARS-CoV-2 (black arrows) and development of COVID-19. The solid line indicates SARS-CoV-2 infection-free trajectory, dotted and dashed lines show the earlier acquisition of high levels of immunosenescence and inflammaging and of high probability of aging-related diseases (ARDs) when contact with SARS-CoV-2 was late in life, at middle age, or in childhood respectively.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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