Gut dysbiosis and mortality in hemodialysis patients

Little is known about the relationship between gut dysbiosis, inflammation, and adverse outcomes in patients with chronic kidney disease. We examined the association of microbial diversity with all-cause mortality in hemodialysis patients. The gut microbiota was assessed by 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing. During a median follow-up of 2.1 years, the adjusted risk of death among patients with higher diversity (above median) was 74% lower than that among patients with lower diversity (below median). We then compared the microbial composition between nonsurvivors and survivors in a matched case-control study. We observed significantly lower microbial diversity and higher proinflammatory cytokines among nonsurvivors than survivors. Specifically, the relative abundance of Succinivibrio and Anaerostipes, two short-chain fatty acid-producing bacteria, was markedly reduced in nonsurvivors. Thus, a unique gut microbial composition is associated with an increased risk of mortality among hemodialysis patients and may be used to identify subjects with a poor prognosis.