Heart disease is one of the UK’s biggest killers. Every year, around 160,000 deaths are caused by heart disease, the equivalent of 460 deaths each day. Nationwide around 7.6 million people are living with a form of heart or cardiovascular disease. For many, one of the many drivers of their heart disease is high blood pressure.
There are several ways to lower high blood pressure including:
• Moving to a balanced diet
• Increasing levels of activity
• Reducing alcohol consumption
• Quitting smoking
• Reducing caffeine consumption
• Medication.
Now, a new piece of technology attached to the ear has shown efficacity in lowering high blood pressure.
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The device, known was Affex, works by delivering an electrical pulse to the ears, specifically, the small piece of cartilage known as the tragus at the front of the ear.
Once activated, the device sends signals to the brain stem via the vagus nerve.
University College London (UCL)’s Professor Alexander Gourine explained: “A small branch of the vagus nerve projects to the regions of the outer ear and we can control something our body does subconsciously by applying low-current pulses.”
In short, Affex allows people to alter their own blood pressure through means of a device attached to their ears.
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However, Affex is about more than just controlling one’s own blood pressure; the purpose of the device is to retrain the body.
Professor Gourine added: “It controls the heart and changes over a long time how your heart is operating and also your blood vessels, lowering blood pressure.”
The team behind Affex, led by Gourine, are currently recruiting for clinical trials.
They have also suggested the device could be used alongside drugs rather than instead of them.
Meanwhile, Professor Nilesh Samani of the British Heart Foundation described the device as an “experimental treatment” and urged patients to take the medication prescribed to them.
The University of Glasgow’s Naveed Sattar added: “While its exciting. I would say preliminary and robust trial evidence [is] required.
“Until these report, lifestyle changes and, where required, blood pressure-lowering drugs remain the best options for treating high blood pressure.”
Should Affex prove to be affected across a wide gamut of patients, it could prove a game changer during a time when some patients in the country are choosing between eating and treating.