Every year, between 250,000 and 300,000 people in Germany suffer from a stroke or heart attack. These patients suffer immune disturbances and are very frequently susceptible to life-threatening bacterial infections. Until now, little was known about the underlying mechanisms of this immune dysfunction. Research teams from the Faculty of Medicine at the University Hospital of the University of Duisburg-Essen and the Leibniz Institute for Analytical Sciences in Dortmund have now uncovered a previously unknown cause – and a therapeutic approach. These findings are published in the May 2024 issue of the Journal Nature Cardiovascular Research.