The study shows that aging lung cells can trigger an overly aggressive immune response, which can turn even mild infections into serious conditions . . . "We were surprised to see lung fibroblasts working hand-in-hand with immune cells to drive inflammaging" . . . This finding suggests that aging lung tissue itself may be a major driver of harmful inflammation.

Scientists discover why flu and COVID hit older adults so hard

A new study reveals that aging lungs may play a major role in why flu and COVID can become so dangerous for older adults. Researchers found that certain lung cells can trigger an exaggerated immune response, creating clusters of inflammatory cells that end up damaging lung tissue instead of protecting it. In experiments, activating this aging-related signal in young mice caused their lungs to behave like older ones, leading to severe illness.

ScienceDaily

STUDY - Immunity - NF-κB-activated fibroblasts orchestrate inflammaging and emergence of pro-inflammatory granzyme K+ T cells - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.immuni.2026.02.016

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