Electric implant could end agony of Arthritis

A tiny electronic implant could end the agony of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) for hundreds of thousands of sufferers. According to findings of a new study which was published in the ‘New England Journal of Medicine’, the pacemaker-like micro-regulator device, which is fitted under the skin near the collarbone, sends electrical pulses to a key nerve that helps block the pain of inflamed joints. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease in which the body’s immune system – which normally protects its health by attacking foreign substances like bacteria and viruses – mistakenly attacks the joints.
That inflammation from RA causes redness, warmth, swelling, and pain within the joint and affects joints on both sides of the body, such as both hands, both wrists, or both knees. The mailonline reported that the development of this device, lends hope to millions globally who suffer from RA.
The debilitating disease is caused by the body’s own immune system attacking joint tissue, causing inflammation, stiffness, and fatigue. If left untreated, joints can lose shape and alignment and nearby cartilage and bone can be damaged, leading to permanent disability. Currently, patients typically take a cocktail of powerful drugs to dampen the immune system.
People who use them are more likely to become ill from infections such as pneumonia. But experts have found that using electrical pulses to stimulate the vagus nerve can have a similar effect without the side effects. The vagus sends signals from the brain to key organs such as the spleen, triggering a decrease in the production of proteins called cytokines that help control the immune system and can cause inflammation. Scientists said that resulted in reduced swelling in joints and a decrease in joint pain and damage in people with rheumatoid arthritis.
Scientists behind the device, now being tested in the Netherlands, hope it would be available in the United Kingdom (UK) by 2020. One patient who took part in a pilot study said it was so successful it felt as if she did not have the disease any more. She said: “I have my life back, like before I got arthritis.”