Definition of Immune System

The immune system is an intricate web of organ systems, proteins (antibodies), chemicals and white blood cells. This system is working together just to protect you from foreign enemies that cause illness, infection, and disease (bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi).

 

 

 

 

How Does It Change

Immunity evolves over a variety of timescales, ranging from the deep linear theory of whole systems to the evolution of pathogen variations and individuals over the life of a host species, to changes in the number of lymphocyte clones inside an individual during an infestation.

 

Immune System Effects That Change Over Time

Aging has multiple impacts on the immune system, including reduced levels of B and T cells in the bone marrow and the thymus, as well as decreased activity of fully grown lymphocytes in secondary lymphoid organs. As an outcome, the elderly don’t really react to immune challenges as vigorously as the youths.

 

Humans Develop Immunity to Diseases

Humans evolve to develop defenses against diseases, but we cannot prevent disease from occurring, so the benefit we gain on the one hand makes us more susceptible to new diseases on the other.

 

As We Age Our immune System Begins to Deteriorate

The bad news is that our immune systems deteriorate with age. This “immunosenescence” begins to affect people’s health around the age of 60, according to Janet Lord of the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom.