Gut Microbiota Dysbiosis in Patients with Intracerebral Hemorrhage Compared with Healthy Controls

Background and Objective: Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is the most lethal subtype of stroke with a poor prognosis. The characteristics of ICH-related gut microbiota dysbiosis are unknown. The current study aims to investigate the differences in gut microbiota profiles between ICH patients and healthy controls. Methods: From July 8, 2019, to December 31, 2020, we performed a prospective clinical trial (Chinese Clinical Trail Registry, ChiCTR2000034906) and enrolled eligible participants, including ICH patients and healthy controls. Based on the brain computed tomography scan results, ICH patients were further categorized into thalamus hemorrhage (TH) and non-thalamus hemorrhage (NTH) subgroups. All participants were fed with the same principle of nutritional schemes, and their stool samples were collected after 5 days. The gut microbiota profiles in stool samples were determined using 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing. Clinical outcomes of the ICH patients were recorded, including the length of hospital stay, length of intensive care unit stay, neurological functions, and mortality. Results: The ICH and healthy control groups had 40 and 47 participants, respectively. The diversity (decreased Simpson and Shannon index, p = 0.002 and 0.001, respectively), microbial community structure, phylogenetic diversity, and abundant gut microbiota taxa in the ICH group were significantly different from those in the control group. However, there was no difference in gut microbiota changes and clinical outcomes between the two ICH subgroups (TH, N = 11, vs NTH, N = 29). Conclusions: Compositional alterations in gut microbiota were common in adult patients with ICH, but there was no significant difference between the ICH subtypes.