Depression, aging, and immunity: implications for COVID-19 vaccine immunogenicity

Bart N Ford; Jonathan Savitz

doi:10.1186/s12979-022-00288-7

Depression, aging, and immunity: implications for COVID-19 vaccine immunogenicity

Immun Ageing. 2022 Jul 14;19(1):32. doi: 10.1186/s12979-022-00288-7.

Authors

Bart N Ford¹, Jonathan Savitz^{2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pharmacology & Physiology, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Tulsa, OK, USA.
² Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK, USA. jsavitz@laureateinstitute.org.
³ Oxley College of Health Sciences, The University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK, USA. jsavitz@laureateinstitute.org.

Abstract

The aging process can have detrimental effects on the immune system rendering the elderly more susceptible to infectious disease and less responsive to vaccination. Major depressive disorder (MDD) has been hypothesized to show characteristics of accelerated biological aging. This raises the possibility that depressed individuals will show some overlap with elderly populations with respect to their immune response to infection and vaccination. Here we provide an umbrella review of this literature in the context of the SARS CoV-2 pandemic. On balance, the available data do indeed suggest that depression is a risk factor for both adverse outcomes following COVID-19 infection and for reduced COVID-19 vaccine immunogenicity. We conclude that MDD (and other major psychiatric disorders) should be recognized as vulnerable populations that receive priority for vaccination along with other at-risk groups.

Keywords: Aging; Depression; Immunosenescence; Inflammaging; Psychiatric disorders; SARS CoV-2; Vaccine immunogenicity.

Publication types

Review