Immune senescence: mechanisms and clinical implications.

There are many changes in the immune response with age, most of which can be related to the involution of the thymus gland and alteration of the distribution and function of T lymphocytes. These changes indirectly influence B-cell function, which not only amplifies the immune deficits, but leads to the increased production of autoantibodies and monoclonal immunoglobulins with age. Thus, immune senescence is characterized by both an immune deficiency and an immune dysregulated state.