Could a simple ear device ease hEDS symptoms?
NCT ID NCT06548594
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study tested a wearable device that delivers mild electrical stimulation to the ear in 30 adults with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS). The goal was to see if it could improve quality of life by reducing symptoms like pain, fatigue, sleep problems, and anxiety. Participants used the device at home, and researchers measured changes using a symptom questionnaire.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Transcutaneous Auricular Neurostimulation (tAN) device
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a new, at-home way to ease symptoms like pain, fatigue, and anxiety for people with hEDS.
- What could go wrong
- This was a small, early study with only 30 participants and no control group. Results may not apply to everyone, and the device may not work for all symptoms.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
-
Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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30 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Nov 2024
- Finished
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Mar 2026
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 65 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Ages of 18 and 65; * Participants who meet the 2017 diagnostic criteria for hEDS or HSD4-5 with persistent symptoms in at least two of the domains to be followed during the intervention (pain, fatigue, sleep, anxiety, depression, quality of life, GI function, autonomic function and immune function) * Mentally capable of reading, writing, giving consent, and following instructions; Exclusion Criteria: * Mentally capable of reading, writing, giving consent, and following instructions; * Not pregnant; * No history of seizures; * no prior history of trauma or damage to ear * History of documented Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis * Residing in the state of South Carolina
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
Medical University of South Carolina Institute of Psychiatry
Charleston, South Carolina, 29425, United States
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