Synergistic effects of physical and psychological stress upon immunesenescence

Ageing is associated with increased risk of infections, due to a decline in the function of the immune system. Common stresses encountered in old age, such as hip fracture and depression, also result in an increased susceptibility to infection.

This project will investigate whether the combination of hip fracture and depression in older patients puts a further strain on the aged immune system resulting in poorer recovery after hip fracture.

The study will involve patients aged over 65 years with hip fracture and will additionally assess them for the presence of depression. The study will also compare their findings to healthy older adults without hip fracture or depression.

The research will measure the functioning of immune cells and will also look at a range of other health factors to determine the effects of hip fracture and depression on physical and mental frailty. The patients will be assessed within 1 month of their fracture and again 6 months later.

The study will also consider how a persons beliefs about their illness affects how well they recover from that illness and will do this by looking at illness beliefs and recovery from hip fracture in British Punjabi Indians and White British patients