Atherosclerosis is the buildup of fatty plaques in blood vessel walls that narrow and weaken those vessels, leading to rupture and a heart attack or stroke. While it is the innate immune cells known as macrophages that are responsible for removing excess lipids from blood vessel walls, clearing up the damage that leads to atherosclerotic plaques, atherosclerosis is a broadly inflammatory condition. Any contribution to systemic inflammatory signaling makes it harder for macrophages to do their job, and the aged adaptive immune system is just as much a source of inflammatio…
The Contribution of Adaptive Immune System Aging to Atherosclerosis
Atherosclerosis is the buildup of fatty plaques in blood vessel walls that narrow and weaken those vessels, leading to rupture and a heart attack or stroke. While it is the innate immune cells known as macrophages that are responsible for removing excess lipids from blood vessel walls, clearing up the damage that leads to atherosclerotic plaques, atherosclerosis is a broadly inflammatory condition. Any contribution to systemic inflammatory signaling makes it harder for macrophages to do their job, and the aged adaptive immune system is just as much a source of inflammatio…