Aging, Immunity, and the Final Chapter
New study demonstrated an association between individual immune cell subsets and mortality in a nationally representative sample of older adults (> 55 years) in the United States. Adaptive immune subsets (total T cells), innate subsets (NK cells (CD56LO) and neutrophils) were associated with 4-year mortality even after adjustment for biological age and chronic subclinical inflammation. An increase in the percentage of total T cells, certain CD4+ T cells (called Tn), and a specific subset of natural killer cells (NK LO) was linked to a reduced risk of death. Another type of immune cell subset (DC-M) showed a potential decrease in mortality risk, but this finding wasn't statistically significant. On the other hand, an increase in CD4+ Tem cells, IgD- Mem B cells, and neutrophils was associated with an increased risk of death. After adjusting for multiple comparisons, the associations that remained statistically significant were total T cells, NK LO cells, and neutrophils. NK LO ce...