William Atkins
Friday, 01 May 2009 02:05
Science -
Health
Page 2 of 3
Bolulinum and botulin looks like they may be related to botulism. They are.
People who get the rare but serious paralytic illness botulism (or Botulinus Intoxication) have much larger amounts of the botulin toxin in their system than do people who have Botox and other such drugs injected into their bodies.
Botulism sufferers have muscular paralysis as one of their primary symptoms. About 100 cases of botulism are reported in the United States each year.
Other possible symptoms for butulism include dry mouth, difficulty swallowing, drooping eyelids, blurred vision, difficult breathing, slurred speech, vomiting, and diarrhea. Death may eventually occur due to respiratory failure.
German physician Justinus Kerner first described the botulinum toxin around 1820. He described it as
“sausage poison” and
“fatty poison” because people were poisoned by it when improperly handling or preparing meat products.
The toxic protein called Botulinum (or Botulinum toxin), is the most toxic protein known. It has a lethal dose of 0.005 to 0.05 microgram (µg) per one kilogram (kg), which means that between this range the protein is lethal for 50% of the human population. This is also called its lethal dosage 50%, or LD50.
When given medically or cosmetically, the dosages injected into the human body are very tiny compared to this LD50 rate.
Botox, made by Allergan, and another similar product called Myobloc, made by Solstice Neurosciences, cause some muscles to relax by blocking the nerve impulses going into them.
Thus, both are used medically in the United States, and approved by the FDA, to treat the condition of cervical dystonia, which is a problem in which there is uncontrolled muscle contractions of the back or shoulder muscles. Both are also used to treat other medical conditions, such as excessive blinking, excessive sweating, and overactive bladder.
In cosmetic use in the United States, Botox is FDA-approved to reduce wrinkles under and between the eyebrows.
Cosmetically, it is sold under the brand names of Botox (Cosmetic) and Vistabel.
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