Case Reports Ppublish 3 citations
PubMed: 37584071 DOI: 10.1111/ene.16040
Botulism after intragastric botulinum toxin injections for weight reduction.
Eur J Neurol 30(12):3979-3981
Authors: Christina Hennen, Seda Demir, Haidar Salimi Dafsari, Gilbert Wunderlich, Boris Böll, Christoph Hüser, Michael Thomas Barbe, Gereon Rudolf Fink, Maria Adele Rueger
Affiliations
- Department of Neurology, University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
- First Department of Internal Medicine; Center for Integrated Oncology Aachen Bonn Cologne Dusseldorf, University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
- Department of Internal Medicine II, University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-3), Jülich, Germany.
Abstract
Although-considering the risk-benefit ratio-botulinum neurotoxin A (BoNT/A) is unequivocally recommended to treat severe neurological diseases such as dystonia, this has not yet been determined for its endoscopic intragastric injection aimed at weight reduction in obesity. However, severe adverse effects of intragastric BoNT/A had not yet been reported, prompting some European countries to endorse its (off-label) use and treat patients transnationally. We here present three cases of botulism after intragastric BoNT/A injections for obesity treatment in a Turkish hospital. Patients presented with cranial nerve affection, bulbar symptoms, and descending paresis, and benefited from treatment with BoNT antitoxin and pyridostigmine. We assume that iatrogenic botulism was induced by overdosing in combination with toxin spread via the highly vascularized gastric tissue. Of note, within a few weeks, more than 80 cases of iatrogenic botulism were reported across Europe after identical intragastric BoNT/A injections. These cases demonstrate the risks of BoNT/A injections if they are not applied within the limits of evidence-based medicine. There is a need for international guidelines to define the indication and a safe dosing scheme, especially in the context of medical tourism.
MeSH
Evidence-Based Medicine, Botulinum Toxins, Injections, Risk, Botulism, Nervous System Diseases, Weight Loss, Off-Label Use, Obesity