Key points from article :
Immune resilience is the ability of the immune system to resist or recover from infections and inflammation.
People with high immune resilience are more likely to live longer, resist infection, and survive diseases like COVID-19 and sepsis.
Immune resilience can be measured by the relative quantities of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, as well as by gene expression signatures.
It can fluctuate over time and is affected by factors such as age, health conditions, and lifestyle choices.
People who are exposed to repeated infections or inflammation are more likely to have lower levels of immune resilience.
As people age, their immune systems become less efficient at recovering from challenges, leading to a decline in immune resilience.
Assessing immune resilience could help identify individuals who are at increased risk of developing diseases and inform treatment decisions.
Public health interventions could focus on promoting healthy lifestyles and reducing exposure to infections and inflammation to improve overall immune resilience.
Study led by Weijing He from UT Health San Antonio, published in Nature Communications.
