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Updated: May 12, 2025
Murine Fecal Isolation and Microbiota Transplantation
Published on: May 26, 2023
Alteration of gut microbiota associated with hypertension in children
Jiahong Sun1,2, Liu Yang3, Chuanwei Ma4
1Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Guangdong Medical University, Dongguan, Guangdong, China.
Insights
Children with hypertension (HTN) show reduced gut microbiome diversity and specific bacterial genera alterations. These gut microbiota changes may aid in early detection of childhood HTN.
Area of Science:
- Microbiome research
- Pediatric cardiology
- Gut health
Background:
- Hypertension (HTN) in children is a growing concern.
- The link between gut microbiota disturbances and childhood HTN is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate differences in gut microbiota composition and diversity between children with and without HTN.
- To identify potential gut microbiota biomarkers for early HTN detection in pediatrics.
Main Methods:
- 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing of stool samples from 102 children (51 with HTN, 51 with normal BP).
- Analysis of microbial taxa abundance and diversity.
- Statistical analysis including FDR adjustment, ROC, NRI, and IDI.
Main Results:
- Children with HTN exhibited significantly decreased gut microbiome diversity.
- Specific genera (e.g., Blautia, Coprococcus, norank_f__Lachnospiraceae) were less abundant in children with HTN.
- Gut microbiota profiles, particularly norank_f__Lachnospiraceae and Dorea, improved the differentiation of HTN based on BMI.
Conclusions:
- Gut microbiota alterations are associated with childhood hypertension.
- Gut microbiota biomarkers show promise for the early identification and diagnosis of HTN in children.
Background:
The association of disturbance in gut microbiota with hypertension (HTN) defined on three separate occasions among children and adolescents remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to compare the differences in gut microbiota composition and diversity between children with HTN and those with normal blood pressure (BP).
Methods:
Data and stool samples were collected from the second follow-up of a childhood cardiovascular health cohort study in 2021. 16 S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing was conducted to determine the relative abundance of microbial taxa in 51 children aged 10-14 years with HTN and 51 children with normal BP.
Results:
Compared with children with normal BP, those with HTN had decreased gut microbiome diversity. At the genus level, after adjusting for the false discovery rate (FDR), the proportions of several gut microbiota such as Blautia (PFDR=0.042), Coprococcus (PFDR=0.042), Eubacterium_ventriosum_group (PFDR=0.027), Christensenellaceae_R-7_group (PFDR=0.027), and norank_f__Lachnospiraceae (PFDR=0.015) significantly decreased in children with HTN compared to those with normal BP. Receiver operating characteristic analysis, net reclassification improvement (NRI) and integrated discrimination improvement (IDI) were performed and showed that the genera norank_f__Lachnospiraceae and Dorea significantly enhanced the ability of body mass index to differentiate between children with HTN and those with normal BP (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve: 0.95, 95% confidence interval 0.91-0.99; NRI > 0; IDI = 0.12, P < 0.05). Phylogenetic Investigation of Communities by Reconstruction of Unobserved States showed that the mean proportions of cofactors and vitamins metabolism pathway and the glycan anabolism pathway were higher in children with HTN.
Conclusions:
Disturbances in the abundance and diversity of gut microbiota may contribute to the development of HTN in children. Gut microbiota biomarkers may be of significant importance in the early identification and diagnosis of childhood HTN.
Clinical Trial Number:
Not applicable.
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