Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 9, 2026
05:21
A Luciferase-fluorescent Reporter Influenza Virus for Live Imaging and Quantification of Viral Infection
Published on: August 14, 2019
Influenza in the elderly: a mini-review
1Division of Infectious Diseases, Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island, Alpert Medical School at Brown University, Pawtucket, USA. Aurora_Pop-Vicas @ brown.edu
Gerontology
|September 1, 2010
Summary
Influenza poses significant risks to the elderly, with subtle symptoms delaying treatment. Improving vaccination strategies for both the elderly and their caregivers is crucial for effective influenza prevention in this vulnerable group.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Infectious Diseases
- Immunology
Background:
- Influenza significantly contributes to elderly morbidity and mortality annually.
- Subtle clinical signs in frail elderly patients often delay diagnosis and antiviral treatment.
- Immune senescence frequently reduces the effectiveness of current influenza vaccines in older adults.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the challenges in influenza management for the elderly.
- To underscore the impact of immune senescence on vaccine efficacy.
- To propose strategies for improved influenza prevention in at-risk elderly populations.
Main Methods:
- Review of current literature on influenza in the elderly.
- Analysis of vaccine effectiveness in geriatric populations.
- Evaluation of diagnostic challenges and treatment delays.
Main Results:
- Influenza causes substantial illness and death in the elderly.
- Delayed recognition of subtle symptoms impedes timely antiviral therapy.
- Reduced vaccine efficacy due to immune senescence is a key concern.
Conclusions:
- Enhanced influenza prevention strategies are vital for the elderly.
- Increasing immunization rates among healthcare workers and caregivers is recommended.
- Development of more effective influenza vaccines for the elderly is a priority.
Related Concept Videos
01:27Influenza
Influenza is an acute, highly communicable viral disease that affects the respiratory tract and is responsible for seasonal epidemics worldwide. Influenza A is the most prevalent type associated with widespread outbreaks and is subtyped based on two surface glycoproteins: hemagglutinin (H) and neuraminidase (N), as in H1N1. These glycoproteins are essential for viral infectivity, transmission, and immune recognition. Transmission occurs primarily through respiratory droplets and contaminated...
01:27Pharmacodynamics in Geriatric Patients: Effects of Age
Age-related pharmacokinetic changes are extensively documented, but understanding age-related pharmacodynamic alterations is relatively limited. This knowledge gap can be partly attributed to the complexity of developing appropriate measures of drug responses compared to bioanalytical methods for determining drug concentrations.Most information regarding age-related differences in human pharmacodynamics originates from cross-sectional studies. However, these studies assume that observed mean...
01:15Drug Dosing: Geriatric Patients
Elderly individuals encompass a diverse population with varying degrees of age-related physiological changes. Defining the elderly presents challenges, as the geriatric population is often arbitrarily categorized as individuals older than 65. However, many individuals in this group lead active and healthy lives, with an increasing number surpassing 85 years and falling into the older elderly category. Physiological changes associated with aging impact performance capacity and homeostatic...
01:00Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Distribution
Drug distribution in the human body is influenced by several factors, including plasma protein concentration, body composition, blood flow, tissue-protein concentration, and tissue fluid pH. Among these, changes in plasma protein concentration and body composition due to aging significantly affect how drugs are distributed within the body. Specifically, aging is associated with a decrease in albumin levels by about 10% and an increase in α1-acid glycoprotein levels. These alterations are not...
01:18Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Excretion
In geriatric patients, renal physiology undergoes significant changes, including diminished renal blood flow and a lower glomerular filtration rate (GFR), leading to alterations in medication clearance. Drugs such as aminoglycoside antibiotics, lithium, and digoxin, which rely on glomerular filtration for removal from the body, particularly impact pharmacokinetics. These drugs tend to have slower clearance rates in older adults, necessitating careful dosage considerations.Evaluation of renal...
01:18Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Metabolism
Geriatric patients show significant variation in how their bodies process medications, which can change how effective and safe treatments are. The liver is the primary organ where drug metabolism occurs, involving two main types of chemical reactions: phase I and II. Phase I metabolism is driven by the cytochrome P450 enzyme system, which includes key types such as CYP3A, CYP2D6, and CYP2C9. Research indicates that while aging doesn't notably alter the levels or activity of these enzymes, it...