The Effects of Low-Frequency High-Intensity Pulsed Electromagnetic Fields (Diamagnetic Therapy) in the Treatment of Rare Diseases: A Case Series Preliminary Study

Abstract

Rare and orphan diseases are a group of multiorgan disabilities that limit the life quality in young and adult patients, affecting the socio-economic burden for the families and the community. Despite the continuous attempts in research, no standardized and effective therapies are nowadays available. Orthosis supports and rehabilitation remain the unique possibilities to alleviate these challenging conditions. Among the emerging therapeutic odds, Pulsed Electromagnetic Fields (PEMFs) express anti-inflammatory and regenerative effects on musculoskeletal and parenchymal tissues. They have also shown intriguing properties to stimulate the central and peripheral nervous system either as Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) and Low Frequency High-Intensity -Pulsed electromagnetic Field (LF-HI-PEMFs) or Diamagnetic Therapy (Diamagneto-therapy). This last modulates brain plasticity and is effective in pain, reducing muscles contractures and tissue oedema. Our experience refers to the use of Diamagnetic Therapy to rare and orphan diseases and reports promising functional and behavioural results, opening the possibility of therapeutic applications integrated with conventional rehabilitative methods. Journal of Neurology and Experimental Neural Science Obando FT, et al. J Neurol Exp Neural Sci 4: 145. www.doi.org/10.29011/2577-1442.100045 www.gavinpublishers.com Introduction Rare and orphan diseases are a group of pathologies that affect, by definition, small numbers of patients. The classification criteria are different in the various countries as there is no unified categorization globally accepted. According to the United States Rare Diseases Act (2002), a rare disease is a condition that affects about 1: 1500 person while the European Commission defines a rare disease as any disease that affects less than 1: 2000 people and some definitions rely on the existence of proper treatments [1]. Currently, despite their low prevalence, almost 8000 existing rare diseases are esteemed to affect about 350 million patients, with a worldwide impact on healthcare and the socio-economic systems in terms of direct and indirect costs. Recent progress in molecular biology, next-generation sequencing-based technologies, and genetics have enhanced the therapeutic choices: small-molecule drugs, protein-based therapeutics, antisense oligonucleotides, small interfering RNAs, gene and cell therapies [2] aim to trigger reparative molecular Citation: Obando FT, Romeo P, Vergara D, di Pardo F, Soto A (2022) The Effects of Low-Frequency High-Intensity Pulsed Electromagnetic Fields (Diamagnetic Therapy) in the Treatment of Rare Diseases: A Case Series Preliminary Study. J Neurol Exp Neural Sci 4: 145. DOI: 10.29011/2577-1442.100045 2 Volume 4; Issue 01 mechanisms. Nevertheless, there is still a lack of appropriate diagnostic tools and treatments that need more specific knowledge [3]. Thus, despite the growing interest in this field, the high costs related to the rarity of the diseases and their obscure pathogenesis slow the progress in specific therapeutic tolls [1]. Given the frequent involvement of the nervous system, one of the recent therapeutic attempts is biophysical stimulation, whose target is to modify the excitability and plasticity of a specific brain or peripheral area. Repetitive Transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a non-invasive painless technique for electromagnetic stimulation of the brain and the nervous system. Appropriate guidelines for the therapeutic use of rTMS derive from experimental evidence in pain, movement disorders, stroke, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, and other conditions [4]. On its own, the electromagnetic stimulation induced by Pulsed Electromagnetic Fields (PEMFs) retains biological effects worldwide recognized to be effective in the treatment of pain and inflammation as well as in regenerative medicine, drugs delivery, and Immuno-therapy [5]. PEMFs have been successfully applied also in musculoskeletal diseases [6] to modulate the activity of various neurotransmitters and the cortical plasticity in the brain [7,8]. Due to the recurrent ineffectiveness of conventional treatments, based on previous experiences, we employed a novel technology of PEMF to treat a series of 13 patients suffering from disabling neuro-motor and behavioral conditions related to a rare disease. We used a treatment based on Low Frequency HighIntensity Pulsed Electromagnetic Fields (LFHIPEMFs) named Diamagnetotherapy (Diamagnetic Therapy), with a positive result. Methods From May 2019 to April 2021, at the Cell Regeneration Medical Organization in Bogotá (Colombia), a series of 13 variously aged and suffering from different neuro-muscular rare diseases were treated with Diamagnetic Therapy. The pathologies included 2 muscular dystrophies, 1 neuroaxonal dystrophy, 6 spastic cerebral palsies, 1 hemorrhagic stroke, 1 left focal seizure, 1 Dystonia 28, 1 Glass syndrome, 1 dysgenesis of the corpus callosum, 1 hypoplasia of the cerebellar bridge, and 1 dysgenesis of the dorsum -lumbar spine. They attended an individualized treatment of Diamagnetotherapy applying the CTU Mega 20® Plus Diamagnetic Pump machine (Periso SA – PazzalloSwitzerland), in addition to the standard of care. Depending on the symptoms and features of the disease, the health personnel used different therapeutic protocols. This technology delivers a High Intensity – Low-Frequency Electromagnetic Field (2,2T – <50 Hz) and supplies a wide range of amplitudes of the Magnetic Field and variable electromagnetic frequencies able to match the electromagnetic properties of the body tissues, stimulating them at the cellular level [8]. The choice of the area of treatment depended on the etiopathogenesis of the disease. In pathologies of the Central Nervous System (CNS) a direct transcranial stimulation has been applied, if the Peripheral Nervous System and muscles were involved (PNS), we treated the peripheral region concerned. The main target of the treatments, as occurs for conventional technologies employing PEMF, was to stimulate the metabolic activity of the cells. Additionally, the CTU Mega 20 Plus machine offers the possibility to move diamagnetic substances such as water, ions, and proteins of the Extracellular Matrix (ECM), promoting the transmembrane flow at the cellular level. Furthermore, activates muscular apparatus, the electrical conduction of slow and fast nerve fibers, thanks to the possibility to variate, selectively, the electromagnetic frequencies and the amplitudes of the Magnetic Field, according to the proper of the biological tissues [8]. Table 1 summarizes the main characteristics of the treatment provided for each patient according to the diagnosis, the protocol and the area of treatment, the number of sessions. Citation: Obando FT, Romeo P, Vergara D, di Pardo F, Soto A (2022) The Effects of Low-Frequency High-Intensity Pulsed Electromagnetic Fields (Diamagnetic Therapy) in the Treatment of Rare Diseases: A Case Series Preliminary Study. J Neurol Exp Neural Sci 4: 145. DOI: 10.29011/2577-1442.100045 3 Volume 4; Issue 01 Patient Diagnosis Treated Area Diamagnetic Treatment Sessions Number Patient 1 Limb girdle muscular dystrophy Gluteal-lumbar Pain Control Slow Nerve Fibers stimulation