Electrical Vagal Nerve Stimulation in Ulcerative Colitis

There are approximately 2.5-3 million patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) across Europe, with associated healthcare costs of €4.6-5.6 billion per annum (1). IBD is associated with a significant reduction in quality of life. Treatments directed towards modifying the inflammatory response, such as anti-tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) agents, are expensive, can necessitate admission to hospital for their administration and can be associated with side effects (2 3). Thus, the development of a novel non-pharmacological anti-inflammatory intervention, such as electrical vagal nerve stimulation, is warranted. This is a proof of concept study which aims to investigate whether transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulation is effective at reducing stress induced inflammatory cytokine levels in patients with quiescent ulcerative colitis.