Systemic inflammation is associated with gut microbiota diversity in post-stroke patients.

Background: There is growing interest in gut microbiota and health outcomes. However, the relationship between systemic inflammation and gut microbiota diversity in hospitalized patients remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the association in post-stroke rehabilitation patients.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on post-stroke patients admitted to a rehabilitation hospital. Systemic inflammation was assessed using the modified Glasgow Prognostic Score (mGPS). Gut microbiota diversity was evaluated using three indices: Shannon index, Operational Taxonomic Unit (OTU) richness, and Faith's Phylogenetic Diversity (PD). Multiple linear regression analyses were performed to examine the relationship between mGPS and gut microbiota diversity indices, adjusting for potential confounders.

Results: A total of 156 patients (mean age 78.4 years; 55.7% men) were analyzed. The median mGPS was 0 (interquartile range: 0-1), with GPS distribution: 61.8% scored 0, 25.7% scored 1, and 12.5% scored 2. After adjusting for confounders, mGPS was significantly and negatively associated with the Shannon index (B = -0.143, 95% CI -0.288 to -0.002, β = -0.177) and OTU richness (B = -17.832, 95% CI -24.349 to -3.951, β = -0.208). However, no significant association was observed between mGPS and Faith's PD (B = -1.155, 95% CI -2.464 to 0.189, β = -0.155).

Conclusion: This study demonstrates a significant negative association between systemic inflammation and both quantitative and qualitative gut microbiota diversity in post-stroke patients.