Evaluating the efficacy and safety of transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation for systemic lupus erythematosus: a protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

作者：Haomin Sun, Hantong Hu, Zhiyuan Bian, Hanyu Liu, Mei Huang, Siqi Chen, Li Wang, Wenjun Xiao, Yuanyuan Zhang, Jianqiao Fang, Xiaomei Shao · 发表于：BMJ Open · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1136/bmjopen-2024-098576 · 被引用次数：1 · 研究领域：Vagus Nerve Stimulation Research、Multiple Sclerosis Research Studies、Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Research

INTRODUCTION: Conventional treatments, like immunosuppressants for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), are associated with many side effects. Transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) emerges as a promising adjunctive therapy, potentially offering a more benign therapeutic avenue for patients with SLE. The increased number of clinical trials, including randomised clinical trials, highlights the importance of a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy and safety of tVNS in treating SLE. Consequently, the aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis protocol is to synthesise the available evidence to elucidate the efficacy and safety of tVNS for the treatment of SLE. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Databases include PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Embase, Wanfang Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, VIP Database and Chinese BioMedical Literature Database. Data selection, extraction and quality assessment by two independent reviewers. Fatigue is the primary outcome, and secondary outcomes include pain, quality of life, negative emotions, adverse events and measures of SLE disease activity. We will use instruments appropriate for each study type to assess the risk of bias. The credibility of evidence will be evaluated using the grading of recommendation, assessment, development and evaluation system. For meta-analysis, we will use RevMan software to perform data synthesis (V.5.4.1). Besides, publication bias assessment, sensitivity, subgro...