Chronic Stress Alters the Immune Response to Influenza Virus Vaccine in Older Adults

To determine whether a chronic stressor (caregiving for a spouse with a progressive dementia) is associated with an impaired immune response to influenza virus vaccination, we compared 32 caregivers' vaccine responses with those of 32 sex-, age-, and socioeconomically matched control subjects....

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Veröffentlicht in:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS 1996-04, Vol.93 (7), p.3043-3047
Hauptverfasser: Kiecolt-Glaser, Janice K., Glaser, Ronald, Gravenstein, Stefan, Malarkey, William B., Sheridan, John
Format: Artikel
Sprache:eng
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Zusammenfassung:To determine whether a chronic stressor (caregiving for a spouse with a progressive dementia) is associated with an impaired immune response to influenza virus vaccination, we compared 32 caregivers' vaccine responses with those of 32 sex-, age-, and socioeconomically matched control subjects. Caregivers showed a poorer antibody response following vaccination relative to control subjects as assessed by two independent methods, ELISA and hemagglutination inhibition. Caregivers also had lower levels of in vitro virus-specific-induced interleukin 2 levels and interleukin 1β ; interleukin 6 did not differ between groups. These data demonstrate that down-regulation of the immune response to influenza virus vaccination is associated with a chronic stressor in the elderly. These results could have implications for vulnerability to infection among older adults.
ISSN:0027-8424
1091-6490
DOI:10.1073/pnas.93.7.3043