Botulinum toxin A in Btx
How does Bttx A work in Btx?
Bttx A / Botulinimtoxin A is a neurotoxin contained in Btx. It paralyzes the muscles by blocking the transition from the nerve cell to the muscle. These sites are called synapses. A messenger substance called acetylcholine is released during muscular excitation. This release is prevented by Bttx A.
Bacteria produce botulinum toxin A
The botulinimtoxin A contained in Btx is the poison (= toxin) of the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. It is responsible for a food poisoning called botulism.
Clostridium botulinum multiplies and produces Bttx A, particularly in spoiled canned food. After hours to several days, this leads to the typical symptoms of botulism: headaches, dysphagia, speech disorders, constipation, double vision. Death is usually the result of respiratory paralysis and occurs in 25-75% of cases. After timely diagnosis, treatment can be given with an antidote (antitoxin).
The brief history of Bttx. A
The word botulinum toxin A contains the Latin word botulus, which means sausage. As early as the end of the 18th century, there were reports of illnesses and deaths caused by spoiled blood sausages, which later determined the name.
The doctor and poet Justinus Kerner (1786-1862) first suspected a poison as the cause of the disease in his descriptions in 1822. However, the term Bttx A was not coined until 1897 by the Belgian Prof. van Ermengen.
Bttx A was first used on volunteers in the USA in 1978.
In Germany, Bttx has been approved for the treatment of eyelid spasm (blepharospasm) since 1993 and for muscular torticollis (torticollis spasmodicus) since 1995.
What are the indications for Btx treatment?
- Wrinkle treatment with Btx
- Excessive sweating in the armpits (hyperhidrosis axillaris) can also be reduced by repeated injections of Btx.
- Calf reduction with Btx is one of the rare and unusual indications in plastic surgery.
- Strabismus
- Eyelid spasm
- In the case of muscular pointed foot, the cramp-like shortening of the calf muscles on the back of the lower leg can be reduced by injecting Btx, so that the muscle relaxes and the foot no longer remains in a pointed foot position.
- The Btx treatment for muscular torticollis is similar to that described above.
Which manufacturers and preparations are available in Germany?
With Bttx products, it is important to ensure that the units do not correspond to each other. Different units must therefore be injected in order to achieve the same effect. Btx is the best-known product which is already a synonym for the actual active ingredient in colloquial language:
- Btx – Allergan company
- Dysport – Ipsen company
- Vistabel – Allergan company
- Azzalure – Allergan company
- Xeomin – Merz company
Here you will find information on Btx treatment, wrinkles and hyaluronic acid.
