The Puzzling Lack of Autoimmunity in Centenarians – Fight Aging!

The intriguing absence of age-related autoimmunity in centenarians is the focus of today’s open access paper. Despite the immune system’s decline with age, there seems to be a puzzling lack of autoimmune issues in this aging population. This phenomenon raises questions about the immune system’s function in late life and the impact of immune system alterations on age-related mortality. Centenarians, who are rare survivors from a large birth cohort, exhibit robustness compared to their age-matched peers, but the reasons behind this robustness remain unclear. While autoimmune diseases are common in older individuals due to immunosenescence and chronic inflammatory conditions, centenarians challenge this paradigm with their low prevalence of autoimmune diseases. The lack of robust evidence on autoimmunity in centenarians presents a unique opportunity to explore new pathophysiological mechanisms and identify potential protective factors against autoimmunity. This intriguing phenomenon warrants further investigation to uncover the secrets of longevity and immune system resilience in centenarians.