Fatigue in Sjögren's Syndrome: 3 Therapeutic Strategies

Trial statusRecruiting
Trial phaseNot applicable
Trial typeInterventional
Biological sexAll
Age18+
SponsorCentre Hospitalier Universitaire de Saint Etienne

About this trial

Unexplained fatigue is a frequent (60-70%) chronic complaint in Sjögren's syndrome (SjS) with a clear unmet therapeutic need, despite the recommendation of adapted physical activity (APA) programs, which are effective and feasible, but only to some extent. Hence, other therapeutic approaches, such as Acupuncture (ACU) or transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulation (tVNS), have been evaluated during the past years, with varying degrees of success in alleviating fatigue.

FESSONA has been designed as a randomized controlled monocentric trial, aiming at comparing the effects of 3 different programs on fatigue in SjS: APA alone, APA+ACU and APA+tVNS. Relevant controls will be included as well (sham ACU and simulated tVNS).

Multiple fatigue and SjS-related features will be measured before (at inclusion) and after (week 12) the intervention, as well as at week 24 and 48, to evaluate the short- and long-term impact of each program. Tolerance and feasibility will also be evaluated.

Eligibility criteria

Qualifiers

Patient affiliated or entitled to a social security scheme.

Age > 18 years.

Patient informed and having signed the information form and consent to participate in the study.

Patient with Sjögren's syndrome according to ACR/EULAR 2016 or AECG 2002 criteria, usually followed up every year or more frequently

Disqualifiers

Pre-existing atrial fibrillation or severe cardiac conduction disorders,

Recent stroke or myocardial infarction (<6 months),

Left ventricular ejection fraction <40% or severe heart failure (New York Heart Association functional class III or IV)

Recurrent episodes of vasovagal syncope, or history of vagotomy

Trial design

Treatments tested in this trial

  • Acupuncture (ACU)
  • Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation (tVNS)
  • APA (adapted physical activity )
  • Acupuncture (sham_ACU)
  • Simulated Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation (sim_tVNS)

Treatment groups

174 Participants
are divided into 3 treatment groups