IL-10 levels were significantly lower among hypertensive patients compared to healthy controls, while serum IgG and IgM levels were not significantly different, suggesting dysregulation of immune mechanisms may be associated with hypertension.
IL-10 levels were significantly lower in hypertensive patients compared to healthy controls.
Serum IgG and IgM levels were not significantly higher in hypertensive patients compared to healthy subjects.
IL-10 was negatively correlated with right common carotid artery intima media thickness (RTCCA IMT) in the moderate hypertension group.
The study enrolled 100 subjects in an observational case-control design with hypertensive patients subdivided by severity.
The study concludes that dysregulation of immune mechanisms, particularly reduced IL-10, may be associated with hypertension.
This research examined whether the immune system plays a role in high blood pressure (hypertension) by measuring specific immune markers in the blood of 80 hypertensive patients (including newly diagnosed untreated patients and those on medication) and 20 healthy individuals. The key immune markers studied were IL-10 (an anti-inflammatory signaling molecule), and two types of antibodies—IgG and IgM—which are produced by immune cells called B cells. The researchers also performed a range of other health assessments, including ultrasound of the carotid arteries in the neck to measure artery wall thickness. The study found that IL-10 levels were significantly lower in hypertensive patients than in healthy controls, with the lowest levels seen in the mild hypertension group. This suggests that people with high blood pressure may have reduced anti-inflammatory immune activity. Interestingly, in the moderate hypertension group, lower IL-10 levels were associated with greater thickening of the carotid artery wall, which is a marker of cardiovascular risk. However, the antibody levels (IgG and IgM) were not meaningfully different between hypertensive patients and healthy subjects, suggesting that the type of immune response involving antibody production may not be a major factor in primary hypertension. This research suggests that immune system dysregulation—specifically reduced levels of the anti-inflammatory molecule IL-10—may be linked to high blood pressure and possibly to related cardiovascular changes like arterial thickening. While these findings add to growing evidence that the immune system is involved in hypertension, the authors emphasize that further research is needed to understand the exact nature and direction of this relationship.
Ashour Z, Aldeeb M, Abdelwahab H, Khalil E, Abdelbasset A, Kamal S. (2026). Immune signatures in primary hypertension: The roles of IL-10, IgM, and IgG.. The Egyptian journal of immunology. https://doi.org/10.55133/eji.330405