Aging Horses’ Immune Systems Reviewed

As if equine Cushing’s, metabolic syndrome, laminitis, and insulin resistance weren’t enough to worry about in our aging horses, we can now add “immunosenescence” and “inflammaging” to the list.
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As if equine Cushing's, metabolic syndrome, laminitis, and insulin resistance weren't enough to worry about in our aging horses, we can now add "immunosenescence" and "inflammaging" to the list.

Immunosenescence refers to the changes in immunity and in particular, the decrease in both the number and function of lymphoid cells (a group of infection-fighting white blood cells produced in the bone marrow).

"It is widely thought that the function of these cells, especially T cells, is altered in aged horses," said David Horohov, PhD, the William Robert Mills Chair in Equine Immunology at the University of Kentucky's Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center, who wrote a recent review of the issue. "There are dramatic effects of aging on the horse's immune response and immune competence due to the lower responsiveness of the aged lymphoid cells."

In contrast, the term, "inflammaging" refers to the increased production of inflammatory mediators such as interleukin-6, C-reactive protein, and tumor necrosis factor-α, among others in the elderly. It is a chronic inflammatory condition that can affect multiple body systems. Scientists believe that inflammaging could contribute to many age-related problems seen in elderly humans and horses

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Written by:

Stacey Oke, MSc, DVM, is a practicing veterinarian and freelance medical writer and editor. She is interested in both large and small animals, as well as complementary and alternative medicine. Since 2005, she’s worked as a research consultant for nutritional supplement companies, assisted physicians and veterinarians in publishing research articles and textbooks, and written for a number of educational magazines and websites.

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