Weight loss associated with vagus nerve stimulation

Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is an approved treatment for the management of patients with medically intractable epilepsy. Seizure reductions of 30–50% have been reported. Over 13,000 patients have been implanted worldwide, and there are more than 5,000 patient-years of experience with VNS.1-3⇓⇓ Side effects include hoarseness (66%) and cough (45–53%), seen by the end of the first year. Throat pain (28%) and dyspnea (25–27%) may be seen by the end of the second year. Dyspepsia (21%), vomiting (18%), and insomnia (5%)1-4⇓⇓⇓ may be seen at any time. Usually these symptoms are mild, occur only during stimulation, and do not require removal of the device. Because one of our patients had considerable weight loss of more than 80 pounds after implantation of VNS, we reviewed our patient database for weight changes. All patients who underwent VNS implantation at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Epilepsy Center between March 1998 and June 2000 were included in this …