Who Knew? Why We Become Susceptible to Pneumonia When We Age
As we age, our respiratory tract becomes less elastic and more rigid including the tiny air sacs where oxygen exchange occurs. In addition, our chest wall becomes a little more rigid, not expanding in the same way as when we were younger. The movement of the fine hair (cilia) that lines our respiratory tract and propels dust and mucus up and out of our lungs also diminishes. Finally there’s a decrease in both the circulating and fixed-place macrophages, which are the cells that ingest and destroy foreign microbes. All these factors make us more prone to pneumonia as we age.
What can we do? If you still smoke, stop. Exercise so that your lungs get a work-out too and make sure you get your yearly ’flu shot and your pneumonia vaccine (for those over age 65 or anyone over 2 years of age who has a chronic illness).
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