Botulism

Diagnosis

To diagnose botulism, your healthcare professional checks for muscle weakness or lack of muscle movement, called paralysis. Tell your healthcare professional about foods you've eaten in the past few days and if you have a wound that might be infected.

For possible infant botulism, a healthcare professional may ask if your child has eaten honey, is having trouble passing stool, called constipation, or has been less active than usual.

A study of blood, vomit, stool or the suspected food to look for the toxin may help confirm a diagnosis of infant or foodborne botulism. But getting these test results may take days. So a physical exam is the main way to diagnose botulism.

Treatment

For foodborne botulism, a healthcare professional may cause you to vomit or give you medicine to help you pass stool. This is to clear the toxin from your body. If you have wound botulism, a surgeon may need to remove infected tissue.

Symptoms related to getting botulinum toxin for cosmetic or medical reasons most often get better with time.

Antitoxin

If you're diagnosed early with foodborne or wound botulism, you may get a shot of antitoxin to lower the risk of complications. The antitoxin attaches itself to toxin that's moving through your bloodstream and keeps it from harming your nerves.

The antitoxin can't reverse damage that's already been done. But nerves can repair themselves. Many people recover fully. But recovery may take up to a year. And most people need rehabilitation therapy.

Healthcare professionals may use another type of antitoxin to treat infants. This is called human-derived botulism immune globulin.

Antibiotics

Antibiotics most often treat wound botulism when the wound is infected. But antibiotics don't treat other forms of botulism because the medicines can speed up the release of toxins in the body.

Breathing aid

If you have trouble breathing, you may need to use a machine called a mechanical ventilator for up to several weeks while your body fights the toxin's effects. The ventilator forces air into your lungs through a tube in your nose or mouth.

Rehabilitation

As you get better, you also may need therapy to rebuild your strength or help with speaking, swallowing or other functions botulism affects.

Preparing for your appointment

You may start by seeing your main healthcare professional. Or you may need to go to a hospital for treatment right away. At the hospital, you may see several healthcare professionals. They may include doctors who specialize in conditions that affect the brain and nerves, called neurologists, and specialists in infectious diseases.

What you can do

Make a list of:

• Your symptoms and when they began.
• Key personal information, including major stresses, recent life changes and family medical history.
• All medicines, vitamins, and other supplements you take, including dosages.
• Questions to ask your healthcare professional.

Take a family member or friend along, if possible, to help you remember the information you get.

For botulism, basic questions to ask include:

• How did I get botulism?
• What treatment do you suggest?
• Will I have lasting damage?
• How can I keep this from happening again?

Be sure to ask all the questions you have.

What to expect from your doctor

Your healthcare professional may ask you questions, such as:

• Are your symptoms constant or do they come and go?
• How bad are your symptoms?
• Have you or your child eaten any home-canned food recently?
• If your infant is ill, has your infant eaten honey?
• Did anyone else eat the food that might have made you ill?