High blood pressure was found to cause a rise in active immune cells in the body, it is this active immune cells which Dr Hennen said played a role: “This increase in active immune cells tells us that the older mice are more inflamed overall, and that a continued state of inflammation, whether they had high blood pressure or not, may have an impact on bone health.
“It appeared that high blood pressure was adjusting the bone remodelling process toward bone loss, rather than bone gain or bone equilibrium, in the hypertensive young mice. As a result, bones will be weaker, leading to an increased risk for osteoporosis and fragility fracture.”
Dr Henne added: “In humans, this might mean that we should screen for osteoporosis in people with high blood pressure.”
High blood pressure is an incredibly common condition in the UK with around one in three people in the UK experiencing symptoms of hypertension.
