Hannah Swart
April 12th, 2020
CST 110
Prof. Vick
Botulinum Toxin in Medicine
Botox is a well-known cosmetic treatment used by millions, but more important and
less known are its clinical uses. Botox is commonly used in treatment of Strabismus,
Cervical Dystonia, Hyperhidrosis, Migraines, and Urinary Incontinence.
Botulinum toxin was first discovered in 1895 by Belgian scientist Emile Pierre Van
Ermengem after a raw ham meal served at a local pub. Botulinum toxin is a neurotoxic
protein produced by the bacteria Clostridium Botulinum, commonly found in plants, soil,
water, and animal intestines. Botulinum toxin works by preventing the release of the
neurotransmitter Acetylcholine from axon endings at the neuromuscular junction causing
muscle activity to cease. It is known as one of the most poisonous biological substances
known to scientists.
Botox, the A type of Botulinum toxin, was FDA approved in 1989 but was first used
for cosmetic purposes in April of 2002. It is the most researched and studied treatment of its
kind and is the #1 selling cosmetic injectable treatment in the world, with an estimated 100
million vials sold in the United States alone since 2002. Cosmetically it is used for facial
wrinkles like frown lines, forehead lines, smile lines, and hooded eyelids.
Alan B. Scott first tested botulinum toxin A in humans in 1978 after getting
permission to study the drugs effect of strabismus, a condition of the eyes in which the eyes
do not look in the same direction at the same time. The FDA went on to approve the use of
Botox for treatment of strabismus in 1989. With the success of this treatment scientists later
went on to get FDA approval for the treatment of Cervical Dystonia; an involuntary
contraction of the neck muscles, in 2000, Hyperhidrosis; excessive sweating, in 2004,
Migraines; a recurring type of headache, in 2010, and Urinary Incontinence; the involuntary
leakage of urine, in 2013.
This versatile toxin’s biggest accomplishments come not from its prevention of
wrinkles, but it’s treatment of several medical diagnosis. As Min Dong, a Harvard Medical
researcher said, “These are the most toxic substances known to man, and they are also the
most useful toxins used in medicine right now”.
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