Living Free: How a Nerve Stimulator Transforms Life for Rheumatoid Arthritis Patient
Living in constant pain for over four years was the harsh reality for a woman whose body was tormented by swollen, aching joints. "I was so weak, I couldn't even hug my children or hold my husband's hand," she confessed. This woman was not even able to climb stairs or participate in raising her teenage son, as she was mostly confined to her couch.
She was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, a condition where the body's immune system mistakenly attacks the lining of the joints. She tried all kinds of treatments, including physical therapy, acupuncture, steroids, and even the newest immunosuppressive drugs, but none of them offered her any relief.
A New Hope: A Revolutionary Device
Everything changed when an innovative device was surgically inserted into her neck. This device sends electrical pulses to her vagus nerve, a nerve that connects the brain to many internal organs, for a minute each day. "My elbow pain disappeared after just three weeks," she narrated. Soon, she stopped experiencing hand pain, and her swelling started to subside.
Eventually, all her rheumatoid arthritis symptoms disappeared. Now, at 60 years old, she and her husband are able to lead the life they had before she fell ill. "It's like being born again," she stated.
Good News: FDA Approves the Device
Now, the same device that transformed her life will soon be available to many other people suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. The device, developed by a medical technology company, has been approved for patients whose symptoms are not effectively managed by drugs.
The first approved device was implanted in a patient at a health institution in New York. This approval could potentially revolutionize not only the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis but also other autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis and inflammatory bowel disease.
Beyond Pain Management: How the Device Works
According to a rheumatologist who oversaw the study leading to the device's approval, the treatment uses the body's natural method of managing inflammation. By stimulating the vagus nerve, the device sends signals to the hypothalamus, which is a part of the brain that controls various bodily functions and interacts with the immune system.
This part of the brain then sends signals through the vagus nerve to the spleen, instructing certain cells to reduce the production of proteins called cytokines. These proteins regulate inflammation, including inflammation in the joints. While cytokines are essential in fighting infection, they can also cause damage to healthy tissues, including joint linings.
While the device doesn't always produce the kind of dramatic recovery seen in this woman, the clinical trial found that patients who had not responded to even the most potent drugs often experienced significant improvement. "Thirty-five percent of patients achieved that in this difficult-to-treat group," the rheumatologist said. This was significantly more than in a comparison group whose stimulators had not been activated yet.
Simple Procedure, Big Impact
The device, which is about the size of a lima bean, is implanted in an outpatient surgical procedure. The surgery is straightforward for any surgeon who has experience with vagus nerve stimulators often used to control epileptic seizures. "I've had dental surgery that was more complicated than this surgery," the woman remarked.
However, there was a minor issue post-surgery. Since the device is located near the vocal cords, her voice was temporarily reduced to a whisper. A second procedure corrected this, but her voice remained slightly lower than before.
Despite this, she is willing to accept the change in her voice in exchange for a treatment that gave her what medications could not. The nerve stimulator has given her the ability to climb stairs, cook, and travel once again. Now, she and her husband can enjoy simple things like walking their dogs and holding hands. "And hugs," her husband added with a smile.