Rheumatoid arthritis develops when the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks the joints. For many patients there is no relief from the agony from any drugs, which often offer side effects rather than results. That may be changing with a new device that delivers a small electric shock that activates a nerve involved in the control of the immune system. The device is implanted on the side of the neck.
Switched on for as little as one minute per day, researchers found that the coin-sized gadget significantly reduced rheumatoid arthritis symptoms, an exciting development providing hope for the many patients who have not found a drug that works. Some patients went into complete remission, which means that they were essentially cured.
One woman, who was affected by arthritis so badly that she could not walk across the room, says she has her normal life back, complete with biking, driving the car and walking the dog.
Professor Paul-Peter Tak, researcher from the University of Amsterdam, implanted the new device into 17 rheumatoid arthritis patients during a one-hour operation. The device then administered tiny electric shocks for a small period of time each day, just one to four minutes.
The shocks activate the vagus nerve, which connects major organs of the body to the brain. The shocks also cut production of the chemicals produced by the immune system that attack the body and drive rheumatoid arthritis. In almost 60 percent of patients symptoms were cut in half, according to the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. There were no major side effects, although patients reported a slight tingling and a voice tremor when the implant was switched on.
SetPoint Medical is the U.S. firm developing the new technology. CEO Anthony Arnold said, “Our findings suggest a new approach to fighting diseases with bioelectronic medicines, which use electrical impulses to treat diseases currently treated with potent and relatively expensive drugs.”