Immunity and immunization in elderly.
As the average life expectancy increases, retired people want to travel. Five to 8% of travellers in tropical areas are old persons. Immune system suffers of old age as the other organs. The number and the functions of the T-lymphocytes decrease, but the B-lymphocytes are not altered. So, the response to the vaccinations is slower and lower in the elderly. Influenza is a great cause of death rate in old people. The seroconversion, after vaccine, is 50% from 60 to 70 years old, 31% from 70 to 80 years old, and only 11% after 80 years old. But in public health, the vaccination reduced the morbidity by 25%, admission to hospital by 20%, pneumonia by 50%, and mortality by 70%. Antipoliomyelitis vaccine is useful for travellers, as the vaccines against hepatitis and typhoid fever. Pneumococcal vaccine is effective in 60%. Tetanus is fatal in at last 32% of the people above 80 years, therefore this vaccine is very important.
Bourée
Patrice
P
Unité des Maladies Parasitaires et Tropicales, Hôpital de Bicêtre 78, rue du Général-Leclerc, 94275 Kremlin-Bicêtre, France. patrice.bouree@bct.ap-hop-paris.fr
D000368:Aged / Q000502:physiology*; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007109:Immunity / Q000502:physiology*; D007114:Immunization; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D008875:Middle Aged; D012016:Reference Values; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000276:immunology