Indolent systemic mastocytosis (SM) may cause the body to age faster than normal, according to a recent study published in the journal Innovation in Aging.
In SM, the body makes too many abnormal mast cells. Mast cells are part of the immune system and help with allergic reactions. In indolent SM, these cells build up in the bone marrow and other organs and become overactive. Because of this, many people with indolent SM feel very tired, have bone or muscle pain and have trouble thinking or paying attention. These problems are also common as people get older.
Scientists wanted to know if there is a link between indolent SM and aging inside the body. To study this, they looked at something called cellular aging. When cells get old or damaged, they sometimes stop working properly but do not die. Instead, they release a mix of harmful chemicals called the senescence-associated secretory phenotype, or SASP. SASP causes ongoing inflammation and can damage nearby cells, making the body act “older” than it should.
The study included 40 adults with indolent SM and 40 healthy adults of the same age and gender. Blood test results showed that people with indolent SM had SASP scores that were two to three times higher than people without indolent SM.
Read more about SM signs and symptoms
People with more active indolent SM had much higher levels of inflammatory SASP chemicals than those with less active disease, and higher SASP levels were linked to more fatigue in indolent SM patients.
“These results point to ISM [indolent SM] as a driver of accelerated ‘aging,’” the researchers said. This new understanding could help doctors develop better ways to treat symptoms and improve care for people living with indolent SM in the future.
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