Fatica nella sindrome di Sjögren: 3 strategie terapeutiche (FESSONA)

Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation (tVNS) will be performed using an ECO TENS 2 device with an ear clip put in the conque aurea of the left ear, which is innervated by the auricular branch of the vagus nerve. In the groups receiving simulated tVNS, stimulation will be delivered to the ear lobe, which is devoid of vagal innervation.

Stimulation will be delivered at a frequency of 20 Hz and a pulse width of 200 ms, while the stimulation amplitude will be individually titrated to 1 mA below the level that will lead to a mild unpleasant feeling, according to the parameters defined by Stavrakis et al (2017, 2020).

The APA (adapted physical activity ) program : 2 sessions of 90 min (with 60 min of aerobic exercise and 30 min of resistance exercises per session) per week, for 12 consecutive weeks

Needles well be used in the non-acupoint area 2 centimeters away from the real acupoints. The needles will remain for 30 min. Subjects will receive sham acupuncture twice a week during the 12-week intervention.

The APA (adapted physical activity ) program : 2 sessions of 90 min (with 60 min of aerobic exercise and 30 min of resistance exercises per session) per week, for 12 consecutive weeks

acupoints will be Baihui (GV20); Zhongwan (CV12), Guanyuan (CV4), bilateral Zusanli (ST36) bilateral Taichong (LV3). The needles will remain for 30 min. Subjects will receive acupuncture twice a week during the 12-week intervention.

Simulated Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation (sim_tVNS) will be performed using an ECO TENS 2 device with an ear clip put in the conque aurea of the left ear, which is innervated by the auricular branch of the vagus nerve. NSVt devices will be used in "simulated" mode.

The APA (adapted physical activity ) program : 2 sessions of 90 min (with 60 min of aerobic exercise and 30 min of resistance exercises per session) per week, for 12 consecutive weeks

Needles well be used in the non-acupoint area 2 centimeters away from the real acupoints. The needles will remain for 30 min. Subjects will receive sham acupuncture twice a week during the 12-week intervention.

Simulated Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation (sim_tVNS) will be performed using an ECO TENS 2 device with an ear clip put in the conque aurea of the left ear, which is innervated by the auricular branch of the vagus nerve. NSVt devices will be used in "simulated" mode.

Change in fatigue score assessed using the FACIT-F questionnaire (Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy - Fatigue; ranging from 0 to 52, 0 meaning extreme fatigue and 52 the total absence of fatigue)

FACIT-F score at 48 weeks, in the different groups

Root Mean Square of the Successive Differences in heart rate or RMSSD (in milliseconds), measured from a nocturnal ECG recording by Holter ECG, in the different groups

ClinESSDAI score (clinical part of the EULAR Sjögren's Syndrome Disease Activity Index; assessed on 11 "domains" corresponding to the main clinical manifestations of the disease; ranging from 0 to 135, a score of 0 meaning the existence of a disease and a score of 135 a disease whose activity would be maximal) in the different groups

ESSPRI questionnaire (EULAR Sjögren's Syndrome Patient Reported Index); calculated as the mean of 3 self-measurement scales assessing fatigue, dryness and pain, each ranging from 0 to 10; 0 meaning the total absence of the symptom considered and 10 a symptom whose intensity would be at the maximum imaginable) in the different groups

HADS questionnaire (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) composed of an anxiety score and a depression score both ranging from 0 to 21, 0 meaning the absence of symptoms of this type, and 21 the presence of an anxiety and/or major depressive state) in the different groups

Self-measurement questionnaire SF-36 (Short Form Health Survey 36); comprising 36 questions assessing 8 dimensions, namely physical functioning, role limitation due to physical problems, role limitation resulting from emotional problems, vitality (energy/fatigue), emotional well-being, social functioning, bodily pain, and perception of general and mental health; each dimension is represented by a score ranging from 0 to 100, with a low score signifying poor health perception in the dimension considered, and a high score signifying the opposite)

EQ-5D-5L self-measurement questionnaire assessing 5 dimensions of health (mobility, autonomy, daily activities, pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression) with 1 question per domain, with the possibility of choosing 5 degrees of severity each time (1 corresponding to no difficulty for the domain and 5 corresponding to the maximum degree of difficulty in the domain), the total of the 5 notes of the 5 domains giving a score ranging from 5 to 25, and this questionnaire is associated with a visual analogue scale (VAS) allowing the patient to rate his state of health of the day from 0 (the worst state of health imaginable) to 100 (the best state of health imaginable), in the different groups

the area of the graduated blotter that became wet after 5 min of placement on the lower eyelid of each eye, expressed in millimeters and as the average of the two eyes) at 12, 24 and 48 weeks, in the different groups

VO2max (in ml/min/kg; after metabolic test) in the different groups

Handgrip test (in kg; via a grip test on the dominant upper limb) in the different groups

Number of daily steps measured via a connected watch on average over the week preceding the assessments at 12, 24 and 48 weeks, in the different groups