Peripheral blood leukocyte populations in the elderly with and without periodontal disease.
Periodontal disease in the elderly has not been characterized. Initial reports suggest that the disease is common and severe. Deficiencies in the immune response have also been reported to occur in the elderly. Consequently it was hypothesized that aging-related changes in the immune response may contribute to the severity and occurrence of periodontal disease in the elderly. To test that hypothesis, the % and number of leukocytes and leukocyte subsets in the peripheral blood of elderly (65-75 years) subjects were tested and used as indicators of the immune potential of those individuals. Age and gender effects on several of the parameters tested were identified. With the exception of increased number of leukocytes in the elderly group with severe periodontal disease, no other alteration in the leukocyte parameters tested were identified. These results suggest that periodontal disease in the elderly was not associated with obvious changes in the leukocyte and leukocyte subsets in the peripheral blood due to aging.
Department of Oral Biology, Claude Denson Pepper Center for Research on Oral Health in Aging, University of Florida, USA.
W P
WP
McArthur
K
K
Bloom
M
M
Taylor
T
T
Wheeler
J
J
Smith
N I
NI
Magnusson
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D016301:Alveolar Bone Loss / Q000097:blood; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003774:Dental Plaque Index; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D005884:Gingival Hemorrhage / Q000097:blood; D005888:Gingival Pocket / Q000097:blood; D005891:Gingivitis / Q000097:blood; D006098:Granulocytes / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000145:classification* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D016131:Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000145:classification; D008297:Male; D009000:Monocytes / Q000473:pathology; D010510:Periodontal Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D012737:Sex Factors; D014086:Tooth Mobility / Q000097:blood