title: [CMV infection in elderly].
abstract: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infects approximately 40-90% of the world population. The infection is usually asymptomatic in immunocompetent persons. However, it may have negative impact on physiological status or accompanying diseases especially in the elderly. In particular, increasing number of data suggests that persistent infection with CMV is associated with accelerated aging of the immune system accompanying by the decrease in the number of naïve T cells, the increase in in the number of late-differentiated T cells, and reduced TCD4/ TCD8 ratio. This constellation reduces immunity against a variety of diseases, including infectious diseases, cancer, autoimmune diseases, and alters the response to vaccinations. CMV infection could also influence the pathophysiology of age-related diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, however, the mechanism of such influence is still not clear. It is not clear as well, whether CMV infection influences the all-cause and cardiovascular diseases-related mortality. In conclusion, CMV infection could intensify immunosenescence and contribute to age-related diseases, but inconsistent results of many experiments do not allow currently to define clear guidelines for the treatment of CMV infection in elderly.
authors.forename: Dorota
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pytka
authors.forename: Bożena
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Czarkowska-Pączek
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D000068884:Immunosenescence; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology