Millions of people take high blood pressure pills daily. Scientists are currently testing a small device that stimulates nerves through the ear, and a trial found it was safe and easy to use at home.
The worst thing about blood pressure medications is that they last for life. Once a person is put on antihypertensive medication, it is for life in most cases. Doctors can adjust the dosage, but withdrawal from this medication is quite rare. However, promising research published in the American Heart Association shows that blood pressure can be lowered by stimulating the ear with a small device.This small device is said to deliver gentle electrical pulses through the ear. This is a completely new approach to treating difficult high blood pressure. In a clinical trial led by researchers at Queen Mary University of London, the technology was found to be safe, well-tolerated and convenient for patients to use at home.The device did not significantly reduce blood pressure in the overall group compared to a placebo. However, patients with more severe hypertension have shown promising responses. Researchers believe that stimulating nerves in the ear could one day provide another treatment option for people who continue to have high blood pressure despite taking medication.The results are from the SCRATCH-HTN trial, published in Hypertension, a journal of the American Heart Association. Although early results are promising for some patients, researchers say more in-depth studies involving larger groups are needed to establish the treatment’s effectiveness and identify those who are most likely to benefit.How Nerve Stimulation in the Ear Can Help Control Blood PressureThe treatment, known as transcutaneous autonomic neuromodulation (tAN), is designed to influence the autonomic nervous system. This system regulates several functions that occur automatically in the body, including heart rate, digestion, and blood pressure.Researchers are studying whether mild electrical stimulation delivered through the ear can help the body regulate blood pressure more effectively. Unlike procedures that require surgery or the placement of instruments inside the body, this technique is non-invasive.The device, developed by Afferent Medical Solutions, is portable and equipped with two small clips that attach to the tragus, the cartilage flap located just outside the ear canal. The clips deliver low-level electrical impulses to the nerves in the area. Patients can use the device themselves, allowing the treatment to be used at home.
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Trial involving 63 patients examines safety and effectivenessFunded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), the trial included 63 people whose blood pressure remained above target levels despite taking at least one blood pressure lowering medication.Participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups. One group received active electrical stimulation, while the other used a sham device as a control. Comparing the two groups allowed researchers to examine whether the treatment itself made a difference in blood pressure.During the first two weeks, participants were asked to use their assigned devices for 30 minutes each day. For the next 10 weeks, they continued the treatment once a week.The device was found to be safe and generally well tolerated during the study. Most participants also adhered to the prescribed schedule, indicating that the treatment may be manageable for people who use it as part of their home routine.However, safety and ease of use do not necessarily mean the treatment is effective in lowering blood pressure. Further research will be needed to establish its benefits, particularly for people whose hypertension remains difficult to control with medication.Hope for people with uncontrolled blood pressureAlthough no significant overall benefit could be seen in this limited human trial, scientists did find an important result in patients with very high blood pressure.As reported by Science Daily, Dr Ajay Gupta, lead researcher, clinical reader at Queen Mary University of London and consultant physician at Barts Health NHS Trust, said: “This is an exciting and highly patient acceptable technology that could ultimately provide a cheap and scalable solution for millions of people. Although the trial did not reach significance in the large unselected group overall, people with more severe hypertension showed a clear reduction in blood pressure in the active group compared to the sham group.“As the first and most in-depth study of its kind, it opens the door to important new research directions that could help us understand whether non-invasive neuromodulation can benefit particular groups of patients with uncontrolled hypertension.”This suggests that this technique could be particularly useful for people whose blood pressure is most difficult to control. But the trial was small, and the results from these subgroups will need to be confirmed in larger studies before anyone can say how well it actually works.
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