Systemic sclerosis & Raynaud's
Transcutaneous auricular branch vagal nerve stimulation as a non-invasive add-on therapeutic approach for pain in systemic sclerosis
Authors' conclusion
tVNS demonstrated to be a safe and non-invasive add-on tool to reduce pain in SSc.
Study context
- Population
- Patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) and reported pain (Numeric Rating Scale (NRS)); 90% limited cutaneous SSc21 completed
- Participants
- 32 patients
- Comparison
- tVNS vs active control, add-on, 4 weeks each
- Primary endpoint
- Pain (NRS)
- Follow-up
- After 1 month
Methodological detailscross-over, patient-blind, active control, 4-week washout
- Cross-over
- Patient-blind
- Active control
- 4-week washout
Primary result
As reported in the abstract
NRS pain, change
tVNS
−27.7%
Mean · SD 21.3%
Active control
−7.7%
Mean · SD 26.3%
P = 0.002
Further findings
| Outcome | P value |
|---|---|
| Interleukin-6Downregulated in tVNS | P = 0.029 |
PROMIS-29 Item4, QoL scales and heart rate variability (HRV)
- No significant differences in tVNS vs active control
Original publication
Transcutaneous auricular branch vagal nerve stimulation as a non-invasive add-on therapeutic approach for pain in systemic sclerosis. RMD Open. Published 3 August 2023. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →