Aging Eases Lupus Symptoms by Quieting Overactive Immune Genes

New UCSF Study Reveals Age-Related Immune System Shifts Offer Clues for Future Therapies

A surprising trend has emerged in lupus research: symptoms often improve with advancing age. Scientists at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) have identified a key mechanism behind this phenomenon – a natural decrease in the activity of certain immune system genes.

Immune System Dials Down with Age

For individuals living with lupus, a chronic autoimmune disease, the journey can be challenging. However, many experience a noticeable reduction in disease severity as they grow older. This observation aligns with findings published in Science Translational Medicine, suggesting age itself plays a role in modulating the immune response.

Dr. Sarah Patterson, an assistant professor at UCSF, noted this clinical trend. “I monitor my younger lupus patients in their 20s, 30s, and 40s closely every few months for signs of severe disease. However, I often see my older patients just once a year to check in,” she stated. This suggests that while the disease persists, its active threat can diminish in later life.

Understanding the Age-Lupus Connection

Unlike typical aging, which can increase inflammation and chronic disease risk, lupus patients often see the opposite. Research analyzing blood samples from a wide age range of patients revealed that aging reduces the expression of specific immune genes, leading to lower levels of interferons and inflammatory proteins.

A multiomic approach comparing 287 SLE patients and 928 healthy controls showed that while inflammation-related genes rise gradually in healthy individuals (a process called “inflammaging”), they were abnormally high in mid-life lupus patients, then decreased over time.

Dr. Chaz Langelier, senior author of the study, explained, “Inflammaging seemed to be reversed in the lupus patients. But it wasn’t fully reversed. The lupus patients still had a greater level of inflammatory signalling compared to healthy adults in older age.” This partial reversal aligns with the clinical observation of symptom improvement.

Targeting Age-Specific Treatments

This groundbreaking research opens doors for developing age-tailored treatment strategies. The UCSF team plans to investigate how age influences the effectiveness of interferon-inhibiting drugs in lupus. Furthermore, they aim to apply their multiomic methods to other inflammatory conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, COPD, and atherosclerosis.

By understanding how aging impacts immune responses in these diseases, researchers hope to enhance management options and improve the quality of life for a broader range of patients. For instance, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that adults aged 65 and older are more likely to have multiple chronic conditions, highlighting the need for age-specific research across various diseases (CDC, 2023).