World Immunization Day is celebrated annually on 15 December to raise public awareness of booster immunization. Recently, respiratory diseases have entered a period of high incidence in various places, and a variety of pathogens have been superimposed and epidemic, and the immune system of middle-aged and elderly people is facing multiple tests. Recently, at the symposium with the theme of "Improving the Immunity of the Elderly", the "Practical Suggestions for Improving the Immunity of the Middle-aged and Elderly in Winter" was released, and experts from multidisciplinary fields and representatives of academic associations discussed the influencing factors related to the immunity of the middle-aged and elderly, immunity and infectious diseases (influenza, pneumonia, herpes zoster), how to improve immunity and other multi-angle content**.
Immunity and disease often pull each other apart. After entering the winter, the temperature difference between morning and evening changes greatly, the virus is relatively active, and the middle-aged and elderly people due to the gradual decline of systemic immune function and the weak ability to resist the invasion of diseases, once they encounter the "repeated infection" of different pathogens, the body lacks the best "buffer period", which not only easily leads to poor control of chronic diseases, causing more long-term health problems, but also further increasing the burden of disease.
Liu Xinmin, former Secretary of the Party Committee and President of Peking University First Hospital, Professor and Chief Physician of the Department of Geriatrics, said: "For respiratory tract infectious diseases in the elderly, 'the more you treat them, the busier you are', and the prevention of respiratory diseases in the elderly is important. Lung infection in the elderly is the first 'domino' to overturn the important functions of the elderly body, and the most important thing to prevent respiratory tract infection in the elderly is: one is to do a good job in immunization, the second is to improve the body's basic immunity, and the third is to do a good job in scientific daily protection. Only in this way can the occurrence and spread of such diseases be reduced. ”
The immunity of middle-aged and elderly people in winter faces multiple tests, and the "immune savings" against diseases are often affected by factors such as age, temperature, coexistence of multiple diseases, and poor control of chronic diseases.
In the case of herpes zoster, a common infectious** disease, people with chronic diseases are closer to herpes zoster. Compared with the general population, patients with diabetes, chronic kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and rheumatoid arthritis have an increased risk of developing herpes zoster disease, such as 84% increased risk of herpes zoster in diabetic patients and 41% increased risk of herpes zoster in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Patients with underlying medical conditions are at higher risk of developing postherpetic neuralgia than healthy people.
Qi Haimei, chairman of the Geriatric Prevention and Control Committee of the Chinese Preventive Medicine Association and chief physician of the Geriatrics Department of Beijing Hospital, said: "Common infectious diseases such as influenza, pneumonia, and herpes zoster are very good at 'acting at the opportunistic', and once the immunity of the middle-aged and elderly is weakened, they will 'wait for the opportunity', especially the middle-aged and elderly with underlying chronic diseases are more likely to suffer from the invasion of these diseases. Therefore, middle-aged and elderly people with chronic diseases should pay special attention to their autoimmune status, for example, the level of immunity at the age of 50 is the critical point at which the herpes zoster virus is activated after it is latent in the body. We call on everyone to pay more attention to the changes in the body, take the initiative to immunize, and do a good job in the prevention and management of diseases. ”
Can middle-aged and elderly people with chronic diseases get vaccinated?What do I need to pay attention to when getting vaccinated?In this regard, Liu Zhaoqiu, director and deputy chief physician of the Department of Preventive Health Care of the First Affiliated Hospital of Tsinghua University, suggested: "Chronic diseases are not an absolute contraindication to vaccination. People with chronic diseases are more susceptible to infectious diseases due to their low immunity, which will also increase the difficulty of chronic disease management. In addition, the elderly need to be vaccinated under the guidance of professional doctors, comprehensively consider their own health status, focus on grasping the three 'keywords' of the vaccine's applicable age, protective efficacy, and contraindications, and choose the vaccine that suits them. First, as older adults become less auto-immune, vaccination can help boost immunity and reduce the risk of developing infectious diseases for which the vaccine is directed. Since vaccinations must follow certain vaccination requirements and vaccination schedules, the elderly should first pay attention to the vaccine that is suitable for their age. Second, we should focus on the protective efficacy of vaccines. If the vaccine is 80% effective, it can help reduce the risk of contracting the disease by 80% after vaccination. Of course, the protective efficacy of vaccines with different technical routes is also different. Finally, regarding the contraindications of vaccination, there are generally three situations that need special attention: first, those who are allergic to the components of the vaccine cannot be vaccinated with the vaccine;Second, if the patient is in the acute stage of chronic disease or is in the acute stage of the disease, it is recommended to postpone vaccination;Third, for patients with immunodeficiency or immunosuppressive diseases, they cannot be vaccinated with live attenuated vaccine. ”
At present, the elderly population in China is increasing, and their demand for health services is becoming more and more urgent.
At the meeting, Yu Hua, vice president and secretary general of the China Geriatric Health Care Association, said: "The middle-aged and elderly people are high-risk groups of various infectious diseases and infectious diseases, strengthen the popularization of diseases among the middle-aged and elderly, help them understand the important value of vaccines for disease prevention, promote healthy aging, and at the same time, help them truly achieve 'knowledge, faith and action' in the process of health practice, improve the quality of life of the elderly, and help the construction of Healthy China 2030." ”
Text: Yang Zhenying Editor: Wu Yan * *Please indicate that it is from the official WeChat of Pudong Release