Longitudinal Autonomic Nervous System Measures Correlate With Stress and Ulcerative Colitis Disease Activity and...

Area of Science:

• Autonomic Nervous System Research
• Gastroenterology
• Psychoneuroimmunology

Background:

• Autonomic nervous system (ANS) function, assessed via heart rate variability (HRV), differs in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients.
• Cross-sectional studies link HRV to systemic inflammation and stress levels in IBD.

Purpose of the Study:

• To longitudinally investigate the association between HRV, systemic inflammation, and clinical outcomes in ulcerative colitis (UC) patients.
• To determine if HRV changes precede symptomatic or inflammatory flares in UC.

Main Methods:

• Ulcerative colitis (UC) patients were monitored for 9 months, with HRV measured bi-weekly.
• Blood and stool samples were collected periodically to assess inflammatory markers (CRP, fecal calprotectin) and stress hormones.
• Longitudinal surveys captured patient-reported symptoms, stress, resilience, and quality of life.

Main Results:

• Perceived stress correlated significantly with systemic inflammation (CRP) and UC symptoms.
• HRV demonstrated significant associations with stress markers (LFHF, RMSSD) and inflammatory markers (CRP, fecal calprotectin).
• Key HRV indices changed significantly from baseline prior to the onset of symptomatic or inflammatory flares.

Conclusions:

• Longitudinal HRV is associated with UC symptoms, inflammation, and stress.
• HRV alterations can serve as an early indicator, preceding symptomatic or inflammatory flares in UC patients.