Botulism treatment

     Botulism is considered to be medical emergency, the patient will be hospitalized and monitored cardio-respiratory. If it is necessary to the botulism treatment the patient will be incubated and will be put on assisted mechanical ventilation, but only if paralysis is progressing rapidly.

     During the botulism treatment we will follow the quick removal of toxins from the digestive tract by: gastric lavage, administration of emetics and purgatives (if there is no paralytic bowel obstruction). After clarifying the diagnosis, the botulism treatment starts with antitoxin (immune serum) that will be given as soon as possible, through the parenteral way (intra venous).

     The patient should be tested for sensitivity to the horse serum and the result will be delivered to the primary physician. Because there is a high risk of anaphylactic shock, in case of allergy, patients should be desensitized. In the botulism treatment the role of antibiotics is not well defined in the anti-infective bacillary therapy; however, we take into consideration the prevention of pulmonary infections (released by aspiration).

     In wound botulism the patient can be given immune serum, the wound will be toileted and disinfected. In this botulism treatment we use penicillin to combat the plague bacillus toxin.

     In most cases the prognosis is difficult. The severity depends on the amount of toxin that entered the systemic circulation and the rapidity with which paralysis is installed (the sooner, the more serious). One third of cases are completed with the patient's death. Disease can leave serious signs, which may regress completely within a year after healing.

Medical therapy with botulinum toxin

     Although considered to be very dangerous when it causes the occurrence of botulism, this toxin has found its applicability in many medical field; at the foundation of its use in clinics lays the property to produce muscular paralysis. Botulinum toxin is used to treat strabism (two axis deviation of either eye socket), the blepharospasm and other types of dystonia (diseases accompanied by disturbances of muscle tone) the toxin has proven to be dangerous and if is not used rationally.

     It is also used in plastic surgery as a remedy against wrinkles, applied by local injection. There have been recently developed cosmetic based on botulinum toxin. These cosmetics must be applied on the skin not eaten.

How to detect if you have botulism?

     Incubation lasts from 2 hours to 14 days (more often 6-24 hours). The onset is acute, with digestive disorders: nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain paroxysms, followed by a moderate diarrhea, substituted over a short time with tenacious constipation. Gastrointestinal disorders are usually discrete (or absent). Patients still show progressive general weakness, headache, dizziness, dryness of the mouth, accompanied by an excruciating thirst.

     After 6-24 hours of the onset (sometimes being the first symptoms) disturbing eye: diplopia, blurred vision, ptosis, strabismus, mydriasis, regular typefaces reading is difficult or impossible (accommodation paresis). Concomitant appear signs of damaging the glossopharyngeal nerve: deglutition disorders, initially only for solid foods and afterwards for all food, then the voice becomes hoarse, with a nasal timbre or disappears completely (aphonia).

     Sometimes, there are paralysis of various muscle groups (neck, limbs), and severe forms of respiratory muscle paralysis occurs and respiratory failure.

     Other signs that may be associated with the disease are diminishing all the secretions, tears (dry eyes, photophobia), saliva (dry mouth, intense thirst), nose, and perspiration, digestive.

Infantile botulism

     Infantile botulism occurs mainly during the first 6 months of life, with the first symptom being constipation, followed by cranial nerve palsies: ptosis, deglutition paralysis. Subsequent paralysis extends to the trunk muscles with acute respiratory failure. To avoid the real damages and in most cases death, after seeing the first symptoms present your child to a doctor who will prescribe the best botulism treatment.