Clinical Characteristics of Sleep Disorders in Patients With Ulcerative Colitis

December 25, 2025 updated by: Xijing Hospital

A Study Based on the Microbiota-gut-brain Axis to Explore the Clinical Characteristics of Sleep Disorders in Patients With Ulcerative Colitis

Ulcerative colitis(UC) is one of the two main forms of inflammatory bowel disease(IBD), which seriously affects the quality of life of patients. Previous studies have demonstrated that more than 60% of IBD patients have sleep disorders, which is emerging as an important risk factor for disease recurrence and poor prognosis. However, the mechanisms by which sleep disorders regulates the occurrence and development of IBD remain undefined. This study aims to explore the clinical characteristics of ulcerative colitis patients with sleep disorders based on the microbiota-gut-brain axis, to analyze the effects of sleep disorders on autonomic nervous function, gut microbiota, and metabolites in UC patients.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Detailed Description

According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 152 UC patients of the First Affiliated Hospital of the Air Forth Medical University from April 2024 to December 2024 will be included. The PSQI scale was used to evaluate the sleep quality of the enrolled patients, and the overall incidence and severity of sleep disorders in UC patients will be evaluated. According to whether the PSQI score is higher than 5 points, the subjects will be divided into UC with sleep disorder group and the UC without sleep disorder group. By reviewing electronic medical records and questionnaire surveys, general clinical information of the subjects will be collected to analyze the risk factors of sleep disorders in UC patients. Mayo score and fecal calprotectin levels will be used to assess disease activity. The correlation between sleep disorders and disease activity in UC patients will be evaluated. Age-, gender-, and education level-matched healthy controls will be recruited from The First Affiliated Hospital of the Air Forth Medical University from April 2024 to December 2024. Heart rate variability will be measured to evaluate vagal nerve activity. Serum pancreatic peptide, norepinephrine, acetylcholine, and serotonin will be measured to evaluate serum neurotransmitter levels, and resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging will be used to evaluate the brain functional activity area of the subjects. Differences and correlations in autonomic nervous system function between UC with sleep disorder and UC without sleep disorder will be explored. 16s sequencing and metabolomics will be used to analyze changes in gut microbiota and metabolites. The correlation between gut microbiota and metabolites and sleep disorders in UC patients will be explored.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
152

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • China
    • Shaanxi
      • Xi'an, Shaanxi, China, 710032
        • Recruiting
        • Xijing Hospital
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sampling Method

Probability Sample

Study Population

Ulcerative colitis patients aged 18-65 years were recruited from The First Affiliated Hospital of the Air Forth Medical University.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Ulcerative colitis was diagnosed according to the Consensus Opinions on the Diagnosis and Treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (Beijing, 2018);
  • Complete medical records and signed informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Previous mental illness or taking anti-anxiety and depression drugs;
  • Patients with malignant tumors of digestive system or serious diseases of organs such as heart, lung, liver and kidney function damage or diseases of blood system;
  • Drugs that affect heart rate or autonomic nervous function, such as glucocorticoids, beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers, etc. have been taken within the last 2 weeks;
  • People who smoke, drink alcohol, drink tea, and drink coffee within 24 hours (all stimulants, which can easily lead to excitement and affect heart rate variability);
  • Other diseases associated with autonomic nervous dysfunction (such as hyperthyroidism, hypertension, atrial premature beat, ventricular premature beat, pre-excitation syndrome, left bundle branch block, right bundle branch block, etc.).

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
Ulcerative colitis group
Ulcerative colitis patients aged 18-65 years will be recruited from The First Affiliated Hospital of the Air Forth Medical University from April 2024 to December 2024.
Healthy subjects
Age-, gender-, and education level-matched healthy controls will be recruited from The First Affiliated Hospital of the Air Forth Medical University from April 2024 to December 2024.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)
Time Frame: At baseline
PSQI is used to evaluate the sleep quality of the subjects in the last 1 month. There are 7 dimensions and 9 entries with a total score between 0 and 21, where a score higher than 5 indicates a sleep quality problem, 0 to 5 indicates good sleep quality, 6 to 10 indicates moderate sleep quality, 11 to 15 indicates poor sleep quality, and 16 to 21 indicates very poor sleep quality.
At baseline
Disease activity
Time Frame: At baseline
The modified Mayo score and calprotectin are used to assess the disease activity of ulcerative colitis patients.
At baseline
Heart Rate Variability (HRV)
Time Frame: At baseline
HRV reflects the continuous oscillations of the R-R intervals between normal heartbeats and is strongly correlated with actual vagal nerve activity. HRV thus provides a noninvasive and quantitative index of parasympathetic nervous system activity.
At baseline
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Time Frame: At baseline
Resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) is a noninvasive imaging modality that is able to measure spontaneous low-frequency blood oxygen level-dependent signal fluctuations at rest to infer neuronal activity.
At baseline
Neurotransmitter Agents
Time Frame: At baseline
Serotonin, Pancreatic Polypeptide, Norepinephrine and Acetylcholine will be tested.
At baseline
Gastrointestinal Microbiome
Time Frame: At baseline
Fecal samples of some participants will be collected and prepared. DNA will be extracted from the stool samples, and the V3-V4 hypervariable region of bacterial 16S rRNA gene was sequenced.
At baseline

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9)
Time Frame: At baseline
PHQ-9 is a widely used international universal depression screening scales. It consists of nine main entries, each with a score of 0 to 3 and a total score between 0 and 27.
At baseline
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7)
Time Frame: At baseline
GAD-7 is a widely used anxiety screening scales. It includes 7 entries, each with a score of 0 to 3 and a total score between 0 and 21.
At baseline
Inflammatory Bowel Diseases Questionnaire (IBDQ)
Time Frame: At baseline
IBD-Q has been widely used to evaluate the quality of life of IBD patients, including 4 dimensions of bowel symptoms, systemic symptoms, emotional ability, and social ability, with a total of 32 items.18 Each item is divided into 7 levels, counting from 1 to 7, with 1 indicating the most severe degree and 7 indicating the least severe degree. The total score ranged from 32 to 224, and the higher the total score, the better the patient's quality of survival.
At baseline

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Xijing Hospital

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Kaichun Wu, Xijing Hospital

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
April 1, 2024

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
June 30, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
June 30, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
April 6, 2024

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 6, 2024

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
April 11, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
December 31, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
December 25, 2025

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
December 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • KY20232370

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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