A Pilot Study to Assess the Safety, Tolerability, and Efficacy of Virtual Reality for the Treatment of Abdominal Pain in Quiescent Crohn's Disease

Launched by MAYO CLINIC · Oct 15, 2024

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is looking at how effective virtual reality (VR) can be for helping patients with Crohn's disease who experience abdominal pain even when their condition seems stable and there’s no active inflammation. The study aims to see if using VR can improve their quality of life and reduce their pain.

To participate, individuals need to have a confirmed diagnosis of Crohn's disease, show low levels of certain inflammation markers, and report having abdominal pain at least once a week. However, those with certain conditions, like a seizure disorder, significant mental health issues, or who are using opioids, will not be eligible. If you join the study, you will be able to try out the VR program, which is designed to help manage your pain and improve your overall well-being. The trial is currently recruiting participants, and it welcomes individuals of all genders within a specific age range.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Patients with a diagnosis of endoscopically and histologically confirmed CD with evidence of C-reactive protein \< 5 mg/dL and fecal calprotectin \< 150microg/g who also report any abdominal pain at least weekly will be included.
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Patients will be excluded from the study if they do not have biopsy-proven CD, have a known seizure disorder, if symptoms are thought to represent an organic disorder, those with visual or hearing impairments, if symptoms represent a known pelvic floor disorder, if the patient is using opioids, has significant ongoing psychological distress (HAD score \> 11 for either anxiety or depression), or if the patient can not actively participate in the study for any other reason (e.g., inability to understand English as the VR program as an English only).