RESUMEN
Objective:To investigate epidemiological and clinical characteristics of botulism, and the adverse events among those received botulinum antitoxin treatment.Methods:Patients with discharge diagnosis as botulism in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University were enrolled between 2017 and 2021. The epidemiological and clinical characteristics were evaluated. Infection and mechanical ventilation as in-hospital outcomes according to baseline characteristics were analyzed. Patients with and without the interested outcomes were compared. The adverse outcomes among those received botulinum antitoxin treatment were investigated. Those with and without the adverse outcomes were also compared.Results:Sixty-seven cases of botulism were enrolled, and most cases got sick between January and March (32/67, 47.8%); among them 62 cases were Han ethnicity (92.5%); prevalence was highest in Aksu region (15/67, 22.4%); commonly seen symptoms and signs included fatigue (58/67, 86.6%), dysphagia (48/67, 71.6%), dizziness (42/67, 62.7%), ptosis (42/67, 62.7%), blurred vision (41/67, 61.2%), and limb weakness (35/67, 52.2%). Compared with patients without in-hospital infection ( n=52), patients with in-hospital infection ( n=15) were more likely to have severe botulism (0/52 vs 5/15, χ 2=19.79, P<0.001), diplopia (16/52, 30.8% vs 11/15, χ 2=8.77, P=0.003), dysarthria (17/52, 32.7% vs 11/15, χ 2=7.91, P=0.005), consciousness disorder (1/52, 1.9% vs 4/15, χ 2=10.32, P=0.008). Compared with patients without mechanical ventilation (62/67, 92.5%), patients with mechanical ventilation (5/67, 7.5%) were more likely to have severe botulism (5/5 vs 0/62, χ 2=41.17, P<0.001), and consciousness disorder (4/5 vs 1/62, 1.6%, χ 2=29.58, P<0.001). Among 67 cases of botulism, 19 cases (28.4%) had adverse events after receiving antitoxin treatment, with an average of 6.5 days from the antitoxin treatment beginning to the adverse event onset; among the 19 cases, 18 cases (94.7%) had rash. Age, sex, and severity did not differ between the groups with ( n=19) and without adverse events ( n=48) after receiving antitoxin treatment. Conclusions:Fatigue, dysphagia, dizziness, ptosis were the most frequent symptoms and signs in the botulism in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China. Infection was a commonly seen complication of botulism, and proactive prevention and close monitoring were needed. Adverse events after receiving antitoxin were prevalent, and might not be associated with age, sex, and severity of botulism.