Although urinating is a natural process for all humans, researchers are suggesting that healthy patients who have high blood pressure may face life threatening conditions if they experience too much protein loss in their urine.

According to a new study published in the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology, patients with high blood pressure who excrete a slightly high amount of protein in their urine could potentially develop kidney or heart complications.

Kidney dysfunction is already common in individuals who suffer from hypertension, but researchers are arguing that they could be in more danger depending on the amount of protein they lose. This condition is called microalbuminuria and occurs in 10 to 30 percent of individuals depending on their age and health conditions.

The scientists found that patients who suffered from both hypertension and microalbuminuria were 7.6 times more likely to develop chronic kidney disease and 2.1 times more likely to develop cardiovascular issues such as heart disease or stroke.

“Our findings emphasize the usefulness of a more widespread evaluation of microalbuminuria in an effort to guide the management of hypertension,” said Roberto Pontremoli, M.D., Ph.D.