Introduction:
Aging is one of the most potent and unavoidable factors of life, which puts one under constant change. As a person grows older, the number of changes the body goes through is certainly inevitable and one of the most significant. Where aging is known to affect all organs and systems of the body, one of the most important systems that is involved and makes a tremendous difference in the function of the body is the immune system. The immune system is one of the most important systems of the body because it helps it fight against any infection affecting it. Whereas in aging, there is a predominance of visible stagnation of immunity. This is because the body visibly undergoes multiple physiological changes that alter the immune system.
What Is an Immune System?
An immune system is a group of complex organs, different types of cells, and cellular components like proteins that are involved in the first-line defense mechanism of the body, along with protecting the cells. The immune system of the body acts like a glossary, which has a reference against every pathogen that has affected the body and a protective antigen against it.
What Are the Types of Immunity?
The body's immunity is of two different types, and they are:
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Innate Immunity: It is the body's primary defense mechanism acquired at birth, which fights against all pathogenic bacteria. The components of innate immunity include the following.
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Skin: This acts as a physical barrier against all the pathogen agents entering the body.
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Fighter Cells: cellular components of the body, including macrophages, neutrophils, lymphocytes, etc., destroy the bacteria.
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Inflammatory Reaction: The inflammatory reaction of the body takes place as a primary response to any injury or infection by migration of the neutrophils, resulting in redness, swelling, loss of sensation, and a rise in temperature.
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Acquired Immunity: While innate immunity is the body's immune level at birth, acquired immunity is acquired by the exposure of the body to various factors, which, over time, develop into a self-defense mechanism. In simple terms, immunity can also be defined as the ability of the body to withstand an infection after constant exposure. The types of acquired immunity seen can be further classified into humoral, cell-mediated, active, and passive immunity.
What Is the Immune System Made Of?
Although the immune system provides holistic protection against the parts of the body, the main components that control or contribute to the proper function of the immune system are:
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White Blood Cells: Here, the white blood cells serve as the primary line of defense cells in the immune system, as they rush immediately to the site of injury or infection.
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Complement System: The complement system is a collection of proteins that work alongside antibodies, protecting the body.
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Antibodies: These are proteins-like agents that adhere to the complement system and act as a defense mechanism for the body.
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Spleen: This also serves as a hub of cellular destruction in case of any infection.
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Bone Marrow: The bone marrow is the hub of blood cell production that boosts immunity.
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Lymphatic System: The lymphatic system is called the endocrine toilet of the body, and its function is to collect metabolic waste from any infection and eliminate it. One of the primary functions of the lymphatic system is the production of lymphocytes, which are also a type of white blood cells and are seen as chronic fighter cells.
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Thymus: The thymus gland plays an important role as the T-cells are directly involved in the body’s immune system.
How Does the Immune System Work?
The immune system acts through inflammatory mediators that participate in a series of processes from the beginning of the inflammatory process until repair, and the activities in the recovery sequence include the changes in the vascular permeability of the cellular membrane. In other words, the detection of hazardous substances, such as bacteria or cells, is initiated by chemical enzymes secreted by these chemotactic cells. There is an active increase in glycoprotein synthesis, where the lymphatic components function as a cleaning agent, aiding in the cleansing of the body during an infection. The activation of other biological mediators, such as cytokines, tumor necrosis factors, cancer predisposition cells, and so on, boosts the body's healing momentum.
What Is the Impact of Aging on the Immune System?
Plenty of factors compromise the immune system, where aging is one of the prime and inevitable processes. Where aging affects all parts of the body, one of the serious issues to be considered is its impact on immunity. Some of the conditions in which aging affects immunity are:
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Declination in the Immune Mechanism: The immune system shows a drastic weakening along with age, and this is because there is an evident fall in the functioning of several immune cells, like the B and T lymphocytes. Where these lymphatic cells are primarily responsible for the recognition and elimination of infective agents, aging compromises the ability of the body to respond to newer bacterial infections.
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Impaired Wound Healing: With aging, the body shows a compromised cell turnover, leading to a decrease in the rate of repair and regeneration of newer cells, making the body more prone to infections.
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Compromised Virulence to Any Vaccine: The response of the patients and the efficacy of the vaccine varies from children to adults. This is because the efficacy of the vaccine and its virulence can make older patients more vulnerable to higher adverse reactions.
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Chronic Immune Conditions: Patients become more susceptible to clinical symptoms as the incidence of chronic medical conditions begins to predominantly shoot up with a decrease in steroid levels.
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Autoimmune Disorders: The chances of autoimmune conditions increase with age due to a delineating immune response.
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Decrease in the Assertiveness of the Body to Infection: The assertiveness of the body towards infection using the complement system is tremendously decreased with an increase in age.
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Compromised Functioning of the T Lymphocytes: Prediction of the T cells is reduced as there is a shrinkage in the size of the thymus gland. This eventually leads to more near infections by compromising immunity.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, this article gives an elaborative overview of the impact of aging exclusively on the body’s immunity. Where immunity itself is considered to be a boon and the first line of help, it is essential for everyone to be aware of the factors trying to compromise it. However, an immune system, although delineated from its original ability, is not destroyed during the aging process. Hence, with conscious efforts, everyone can achieve good standardized immunity by mindfully following certain lifestyle changes, like consuming healthy foods, practicing walking or physical exercises, meditation, or listening to calming music that helps to calm one’s mind, reducing stress hormones, good sleep habits, etc.
