Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Jan 26, 2026 1 hour, 56 minutes ago
Medical News: A major new scientific review is shedding light on why allergies in older adults are becoming more complex, harder to diagnose, and often more severe than previously believed. As global populations age rapidly, researchers warn that allergic diseases in seniors are no longer rare side issues but an emerging public health concern that demands urgent attention.
Older age reshapes the immune system making allergies more complex and harder to treat
Growing Older Does Not Mean Growing Out of Allergies
For decades, allergies were widely considered childhood or young adult conditions. However, scientists now confirm that many allergic diseases either persist into old age or appear for the first time in later life. The review explains that this shift is driven by immunosenescence, a natural aging process in which the immune system becomes weaker, less balanced, and more prone to chronic inflammation.
At the same time, a phenomenon known as inflammaging develops. This refers to a long-lasting low grade inflammatory state that quietly damages tissues and alters immune responses. Together, these processes change how the body reacts to allergens such as food proteins, medications, insect venom, or environmental triggers.
How Aging Alters the Immune System
The researchers describe how both arms of immunity are affected. The innate immune system, which provides rapid first line defense, becomes dysregulated. Cells like macrophages, mast cells, and eosinophils show abnormal activity, releasing inflammatory substances even when no clear threat exists. Meanwhile, adaptive immunity suffers from a sharp decline in naïve T and B cells, reducing the body’s ability to respond appropriately to new allergens.
This imbalance leads to unusual allergic patterns. Older adults may experience chronic itching without rashes, asthma without classic wheezing, or swelling episodes that do not respond to standard antihistamines. These atypical symptoms often delay diagnosis and proper treatment.
The Role of Skin, Gut and Brain Connections
The review highlights that aging weakens natural barriers such as the skin, lungs, and gut lining. As these protective layers thin and repair more slowly, allergens can penetrate more easily. Changes in the gut microbiome further disrupt immune tolerance, increasing the risk of food allergies later in life.
Neuro-immune aging is another key factor. Altered communication between nerves and immune cells increases neurogenic inflammation, contributing to persistent itch, eczema, and unexplained skin discomfort. This
Medical News report emphasizes that these nerve driven allergic symptoms are especially common in elderly patients.
Implications For Treatment and Biologic Therapies
Modern biologic therapies targeting IgE, IL-5, IL-4, and other immune pathways have transformed allergy care. Encouragingly, the review notes that many of these advanced treatments remain effective and s
afe in older adults. However, immunosenescence may reduce responsiveness in some patients, making personalized treatment decisions essential.
Doctors are urged to consider frailty, multiple chronic illnesses, and polypharmacy when managing allergies in seniors. Age alone should not prevent access to biologics, but careful monitoring is critical.
Institutions Behind the Research
The Italian researchers are from the Department of Life Health and Environmental Sciences at the University of L’Aquila in Italy, the Allergy and Clinical Immunology Unit at AUSL 04 Teramo, the Complex Operational Unit of the Adriatic District Area AUSL 04 Teramo, the Clinical Immunology Outpatient Clinic at Luigi Vanvitelli University of Campania in Naples, the Maria SS dello Splendore Hospital in Giulianova, and UniCamillus Saint Camillus International University of Health Sciences in Rome.
Conclusions
The findings make it clear that aging fundamentally reshapes allergic disease through immune decline, chronic inflammation, barrier damage, and neuro immune changes. Without age specific research and tailored clinical strategies, many elderly patients will remain underdiagnosed and undertreated. A personalized approach that integrates immune profiling, frailty assessment, and modern biologic therapies offers the best path forward for improving allergy care in an aging society.
The study findings were published in the peer reviewed International Journal of Molecular Sciences.
https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/3/1206
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