Publication Date
3-23-2023
Journal
Toxins
DOI
10.3390/toxins15040236
PMID
37104174
PMCID
PMC10141007
PubMedCentral® Posted Date
3-23-2023
PubMedCentral® Full Text Version
Post-print
Published Open-Access
yes
Keywords
Humans, Child, Botulinum Toxins, Neurotoxins, Self-Injurious Behavior, Intellectual Disability, Injections, self-injurious behaviors, self-injurious biting, malignant Tourette, botulinum toxin
Abstract
Self-injurious behaviors are repetitive, persistent actions directed toward one's body that threaten or cause physical harm. These behaviors are seen within a broad spectrum of neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric conditions, often associated with intellectual disability. Injuries can be severe and distressing to patients and caregivers. Furthermore, injuries can be life-threatening. Often, these behaviors are challenging to treat and require a tiered, multimodal approach which may include mechanical/physical restraints, behavioral therapy, pharmacotherapy, or in some cases, surgical management, such as tooth extraction or deep brain stimulation. Here, we describe a series of 17 children who presented to our institution with self-injurious behaviors in whom botulinum neurotoxin injections were found helpful in preventing or lessening self-injury.