Diseases such as pneumonia, urinary tract infections and skin infections are very common in the elderly, and sometimes become much more severe than in adolescents.
One reason for the major changes is the organ called the thymus, located behind the breastbone. Some of the most important cells of the immune system, called T lymphocytes (or T cells) mature in the thymus, before being sent out to the entire body to carry out the various mechanisms of resistance.
Over age, the thymus shrinks to only be about 5 percent compared at birth, so that T cell production dropped drastically. Other white blood cell count also dropped dramatically, and at the same time also reduce the ability to make antibodies. Whereas production of auto antibodies that attack the body's own tissue, it slightly increased.
Another important change is the reduction in inhibitory power on infections such as skin becomes thinner. Causing small cracks in the skin that allow bacteria to enter the body. Intestinal lining also changed, allowing microorganisms enter the body more easily.
The elderly should consult with your doctor first to find out what vaccines are to be sought.
As quoted from BBCHealth, Wednesday (02/11/2011), various kinds of vaccines are recommended for the elderly, among others:
1. Seasonal flu vaccine
The vaccine is usually recommended for everyone aged 65 years and over, who are less able to combat the flu, and more likely to experience complications or deaths due to flu.
This vaccine should be given each year because flu viruses are always changing. Higher doses may be needed in the elderly.
2. Pneumococcus polysaccharide (PPV)
This vaccine protects itself from a third strain of the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae, also known as pneumococcus.
Approximately 50-70 percent of the vaccine is effective in preventing more serious diseases such as pneumococcal pneumonia, sepsis (blood poisoning) and other infections. The vaccine is recommended for everyone aged over 65 years.
3. Varicella (chicken pox)
This vaccine can protect the body from the smallpox virus, which tends to cause symptoms much worse in adults than in children.
Vaccination is not widely used in Britain, but it can be recommended for adults who when a child has not been infected, so it has not been immune to the virus.
4. Herpes zoster
Herpes zoster is a painful skin rash caused by reactivation of Varicella zoster virus (VZV) that causes chickenpox. The disease is most common in the elderly and can cause severe symptoms and chronic pain that can last for months or even years.
Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has advised the overall herpes zoster vaccination program will be recommended for people aged 70-79 years.
5. Additional vaccines in childhood
There is growing evidence that immunity to disease due to vaccination in childhood can be reduced, especially for diphtheria or whooping cough. Sampling of blood tests showed that about 50 per cent of UK adults over 30 years susceptible to diphtheria, increasing to more than 70 percent of the elderly.
Other vaccines such as tetanus vaccine is known to have limited effect, and additional vaccine given every 10 years. So that the additional vaccines are also recommended for the elderly.
6. Protecting adults at risk
Some vaccines may be recommended for adults if they have a higher risk of certain infections. This can include travel vaccines, such as hepatitis A, Japanese encephalitis or yellow fever, hepatitis B, and BCG (which protects against tuberculosis).
Unfortunately, the elderly do not respond positively regarding such vaccination in young people. New ways are being developed to make vaccines more effective as a new type of vaccine that creates a stronger immune response.
It is like a flu vaccine that is injected into the top layer of skin or by inhalation to deliver the vaccine directly into the lungs. But both ways of vaccination is being tested.
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