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.