Botulism after intragastric botulinum toxin injections for weight reduction

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.

Intragastric Botulinum Toxin Injection and Botulism: An Alarm for Clinicians

“…It was initially considered safe due to the inactivation of BTXA through the liver or metabolization within the gastric wall [ 12 ], and only gastric reflux and hemorrhagic gastritis with gastric necrosis have been reported [ 11 ]. However, reports of botulism cases emerged [ 5 , 13 , 14 ] such as the outbreak of iatrogenic botulism in four European countries [ 6 ].…”