Immunity can become a threat

As we age, the immune system tends to weaken. The body is worse at dealing with viruses, bacteria, and inflammation. But a team of scientists from the Mayo Clinic found out: there are people whose immunity, even after 60 years, works almost like in their youth.

They called this phenomenon immune youth and decided to figure out what the secret is. The study analyzed data from more than a hundred patients who came to the clinic with giant cell arteritis, a disease that affects large vessels, including the aorta.

Doctors found special cells in the damaged tissues — stem-like T cells. Usually, such cells help to heal tissues and maintain the health of the body. But in this case, they played a cruel joke: they became a source of inflammation and aggravated the disease.

Scientists note that these patients had an extremely young immune system in all respects, despite their age. However, one had to pay dearly for such cheerfulness — the development of autoimmune diseases.

Autoimmunity is when the body’s defenses mistakenly begin to attack its own tissues and organs. At the same time, the researchers noticed that the immune control mechanisms that should deter such attacks were not working properly in these people.

Unexpectedly, it turned out that aging of the immune system has its advantages. When the protective functions gradually slow down, the risk of autoimmune attacks decreases. According to the authors of the work, this is a kind of adaptation of the body that protects against diseases caused by the immune system itself.

The Mayo Clinic team is currently developing tests that will be able to identify people with a large number of such stem-like immune cells. Such tests will help you understand in advance who is at risk and may face autoimmune problems in the future.