THURSDAY, April 3, 2003 (HealthDayNews) -- Botox is being used to treat everything from migraines to wrinkles, and researchers from the Walter Reed Army Medical Center have now confirmed another safe and effective use for the toxin: helping children with cerebral palsy.
Lead researcher Dr. Marc DiFazio reports that botulinum toxin type A helps improve movement in youngsters who have the neurological disorder.
"The most important part of the study was not so much that we were demonstrating improvement in the kids, but that we demonstrated that this medication is really safe," say DiFazio, who presented his findings April 2 at the American Academy of Neurology's annual meeting in Honolulu.
As many as 500,000 Americans have cerebral palsy, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, and 4,500 babies are diagnosed with the disorder every year. Symptoms vary from person to person, but cerebral palsy generally causes stiff, spastic muscles. Children with severe cases may be unable to walk or control the movement of their limbs.
Botox helps, says DiFazio, by interrupting the communication between the nerves and the spinal cord, which lets muscles relax.
Two hundred and fifty children who had already received at least one treatment of botulinum toxin were enrolled in this study. They were between the ages of 1 and 16. Two hundred and six youngsters received more than one treatment, and 148 were followed for an average of two years.
Significant improvement in movement was seen in 86 percent of the children. Only 2 percent had side effects, which included flu-like symptoms and mild weakness in the legs. Many older medications used to treat muscle spasms and stiffness have significant side effects, such as drowsiness and cognitive impairment, DiFazio notes.
The results also appear to last longer than the medication does. Even though Botox wears off in about three to four months, DiFazio says many of the children were still seeing improvements six to nine months later. He says this is probably because once they were able to use their muscles, those muscles became stronger and more flexible.
Another important finding, says DiFazio, is that in the children who received more than one treatment, there was no evidence they were building a tolerance to the medication.
"We have opened up a whole new world for these children," DiFazio says. "Parents of children with cerebral palsy need to know that there are options. We have taken a giant leap forward in the past decade."
"We've known for a long time that Botox is very effective for children with spasticity," says Dr. Jay Van Gerpen, a neurologist and director of the movement disorder section at the Ochsner Clinic Foundation in New Orleans. He says this is a well-designed study that confirms what he already knew.
"Botox has serious medical applications. It's not just for crow's feet," he adds.
The treatment is widely available, though not every neurologist offers it, both doctors say. However, any large academic medical center will probably have the treatment, Van Gerpen notes.
More information
To learn more about using botulinum toxin for treating muscle spasms, visit the American Academy of Family Physicians. For more information on cerebral palsy, go to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
