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Seiring bertambahnya usia terjadi pula berbagai perubahan pada organ tubuh, termasuk perubahan pada kulit.  Meningkatnya angka kejadian penyakit kulit infeksi dan tumor pada lanjut usia (lansia) menimbulkan pemikiran bahwa terdapat perubahan fungsi imun kulit yang berhubungan dengan proses menua.  Dahulu kulit dianggap hanya berperan pasif dalam sistem pertahanan tubuh manusia.  Namun kini kulit dipandang sebagai bagian integral yang aktif dari sistem imun tubuh.

Sistem imun spesifik epidermis terdiri atas sel T epidermis, sel Langerhans dan keratinosit.  Pada lansia, terjadi perubahan fenotip sel T dan penurunan menyeluruh fungsi sel T.  Sel Langerhans pada epidermis menua menurun kepadatannya dan menjadi kurang dendritik, perubahan ini diduga berhubungan dengan menurunnya respons sensitivitas kontak pada lansia.  Penurunan fungsi keratinosit pada penuaan ditandai dengan menurunnya produksi interleukin (IL)-1, IL-2, dan IL-3, namun produksi IL-4 justru meningkat.  Selain itu respons organ target IL-1 juga menurun pada lansia.  Semua penurunan ini diduga menyebabkan lansia mudah terkena herpes zoster dan menderita keganasan kulit.

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Aging brings various changes to body organs, including changes to the skin.  The increase of incidence of skin infection and tumors on the elderly has prompted the thinking that changes occurring in the skin immune function are related to the aging process. In the past, the skin was only assumed to have a passive role in the human immune system, however, the skin is now viewed as an integral and active part of the human immune system.

            The epidermal specific immune system comprises of the epidermal  T cell, the Langerhans cell and keratinocyte.  Changes on T cell fenotipes and the decrease of the T cell function are found on the elderly.  As the Langerhans cell ages, it decreases in density and becomes  less dendritic. These changes are presumed to be related to the decrease in contact sensitivity response on the elderly. The decrease in keratinocyte function with the increase of age is indicated by the decrease of  interleukin-1 (IL-1), IL-2, and IL-3 production. However, to the contrary, production levels of  the IL-4 increases.  Aside of that, the IL-1 target organ response has been found to decrease on the elderly.  These decreases are presumed to cause the elderly to be easily infected by herpes zoster and suffer from skin carcinoma.   

Key words: epidermal  immune function, aging, skin immune system, immunosenescence