Objective To investigate the association between the levels of N-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and intracerebral hemorrhage.Methods Seventy patients diagnosed with acute intracerebral hemorrhage between May 2013 and December 2014 in our hospital were selected as group A, and 70 other patients with general cardio-cerebrovascular diseases matched for age and sex were selected as group B. We measured their common clinical features including height and blood pressure and blood biochemical parameters including the levels of serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and arachidonic acid (AA). Binary logistic regression analysis was used to identify the key risk factors for intracerebral hemorrhage.Results Compared with those in group B, the patients in group A had significantly higher diastolic blood pressure and alcohol intake (400 mL/d), significantly lower body mass index (BMI), HDL-C, EPA(54.3±3.2 vs 81.6±4.9 mg/mL, P<0.001), EPA/AA ratio(0.33±0.12 vs 0.49±0.18, P<0.001), and vegetable consumption (<100 g/week), and significantly less use of antihypertensive drug (P<0.05). The logistic regression analysis demonstrated that the significant risk factors for intracerebral hemorrhage included high diastolic blood pressure and alcohol intake (400 mL/d) and low body mass index, HDL-C, EPA/AA ratio(hazard ratio:0.06, P<0.05), and vegetable consumption (<100 g/week). High HDL-C was a common risk factor in male and female subgroups (hazard ratios:0.93 and 0.85, P<0.05 and P<0.001, respectively) and the <65-year-old subgroup (hazard ratio:0.80, P<0.005), but low EPA was a risk factor only in the ≥65-year-old subgroup (hazard ratio:0.96, P<0.001).Conclusions Low EPA concentration and EPA/AA ratio are key risk factors for intracerebral hemorrhage, especially in patients aged 65 years or older.