Immune Aging and Its Implication for Age-Related Disease Progression

As life expectancy increases globally, the prevalence and severity of age-related disease has risen, significantly impacting patients' quality of life and increasing dependency on the health care system. Age-related diseases share several pathological commonalities, and emerging evidence suggests that targeting these biological processes ameliorate multiple age-related diseases. Immune aging plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of age-related diseases, given its involvement not only in controlling infection and cancer but also in facilitating tissue homeostasis and repair. Aging causes compositional and functional changes in both innate and adaptive immune cells, thereby significantly contributing to the pathogenesis of age-related disease and systemic low-grade inflammation, termed as “inflammaging.” This review article aims to describe the current understanding of immune aging and its impact on age-related diseases with particular emphasis on kidney and autoimmune disease. Additionally, this review highlights tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS) as a hallmark of immune aging, exploring their roles in inflammation, tissue damage and potential therapeutic targeting.