Do female and male patients with cervical dystonia respond differently to long-term botulinum neurotoxin therapy?

BackgroundIdiopathic cervical dystonia (CD) affects more female than male patients. This sex-based influence on the clinical manifestation of CD may also affect outcomes after long-term BoNT therapy.MethodsTo analyze the potential differential influence of sex on the efficacy of BoNT therapy, a cros...

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Main Authors: Harald Hefter, Sara Samadzadeh, Marek Moll
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-06-01
Series:Frontiers in Neurology
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2025.1553989/full
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author Harald Hefter
Sara Samadzadeh
Sara Samadzadeh
Sara Samadzadeh
Sara Samadzadeh
Marek Moll
author_facet Harald Hefter
Sara Samadzadeh
Sara Samadzadeh
Sara Samadzadeh
Sara Samadzadeh
Marek Moll
author_sort Harald Hefter
collection DOAJ
description BackgroundIdiopathic cervical dystonia (CD) affects more female than male patients. This sex-based influence on the clinical manifestation of CD may also affect outcomes after long-term BoNT therapy.MethodsTo analyze the potential differential influence of sex on the efficacy of BoNT therapy, a cross-sectional study was conducted with 135 female and 85 male patients with idiopathic cervical dystonia. Demographic and treatment-related data were extracted from patient charts. The 24-item Cervical Dystonia Questionnaire (CDQ24), patients’ self-assessment of CD severity (PAS), and the TSUI score were used as outcome measures. On the day of recruitment, blood samples were collected to analyze neutralizing antibody (NAB) formation using an ELISA, with confirmation by the mouse hemidiaphragm assay (MHDA) test.ResultsMale patients had significantly (p < 0.02) lower mean age and age at symptom onset and received significantly (p < 0.02) higher BoNT doses per session. Female patients had significantly worse PAS and CDQ24 scores (p < 0.006), though the TSUI score showed no significant difference (p = 0.19). Despite receiving lower BoNT doses, female patients exhibited a significantly (p < 0.006) higher risk of NAB induction.ConclusionThis reanalysis of previously published data reveals that female and male patients in this cohort were treated and responded differently to long-term BoNT therapy, a discrepancy that remained unnoticed by their treating physicians over more than 10 years of treatment.
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spelling doaj-art-be2cfe0efd3741f2afd63d4998fe9e712025-08-20T02:39:28ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Neurology1664-22952025-06-011610.3389/fneur.2025.15539891553989Do female and male patients with cervical dystonia respond differently to long-term botulinum neurotoxin therapy?Harald Hefter0Sara Samadzadeh1Sara Samadzadeh2Sara Samadzadeh3Sara Samadzadeh4Marek Moll5Departments of Neurology, University of Düsseldorf, Moorenstrasse, GermanyDepartments of Neurology, University of Düsseldorf, Moorenstrasse, GermanyExperimental and Clinical Research Center, Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Unverstät zu Berlin, Berlin, GermanyDepartment of Regional Health Research and Molecular Medicine, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, DenmarkDepartment of Neurology, Slagelse Hospital, Slagelse, DenmarkDepartments of Neurology, University of Düsseldorf, Moorenstrasse, GermanyBackgroundIdiopathic cervical dystonia (CD) affects more female than male patients. This sex-based influence on the clinical manifestation of CD may also affect outcomes after long-term BoNT therapy.MethodsTo analyze the potential differential influence of sex on the efficacy of BoNT therapy, a cross-sectional study was conducted with 135 female and 85 male patients with idiopathic cervical dystonia. Demographic and treatment-related data were extracted from patient charts. The 24-item Cervical Dystonia Questionnaire (CDQ24), patients’ self-assessment of CD severity (PAS), and the TSUI score were used as outcome measures. On the day of recruitment, blood samples were collected to analyze neutralizing antibody (NAB) formation using an ELISA, with confirmation by the mouse hemidiaphragm assay (MHDA) test.ResultsMale patients had significantly (p < 0.02) lower mean age and age at symptom onset and received significantly (p < 0.02) higher BoNT doses per session. Female patients had significantly worse PAS and CDQ24 scores (p < 0.006), though the TSUI score showed no significant difference (p = 0.19). Despite receiving lower BoNT doses, female patients exhibited a significantly (p < 0.006) higher risk of NAB induction.ConclusionThis reanalysis of previously published data reveals that female and male patients in this cohort were treated and responded differently to long-term BoNT therapy, a discrepancy that remained unnoticed by their treating physicians over more than 10 years of treatment.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2025.1553989/fullcervical dystoniabotulinum neurotoxinlong-term outcomefemalesmalesantibody formation
spellingShingle Harald Hefter
Sara Samadzadeh
Sara Samadzadeh
Sara Samadzadeh
Sara Samadzadeh
Marek Moll
Do female and male patients with cervical dystonia respond differently to long-term botulinum neurotoxin therapy?
Frontiers in Neurology
cervical dystonia
botulinum neurotoxin
long-term outcome
females
males
antibody formation
title Do female and male patients with cervical dystonia respond differently to long-term botulinum neurotoxin therapy?
title_full Do female and male patients with cervical dystonia respond differently to long-term botulinum neurotoxin therapy?
title_fullStr Do female and male patients with cervical dystonia respond differently to long-term botulinum neurotoxin therapy?
title_full_unstemmed Do female and male patients with cervical dystonia respond differently to long-term botulinum neurotoxin therapy?
title_short Do female and male patients with cervical dystonia respond differently to long-term botulinum neurotoxin therapy?
title_sort do female and male patients with cervical dystonia respond differently to long term botulinum neurotoxin therapy
topic cervical dystonia
botulinum neurotoxin
long-term outcome
females
males
antibody formation
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2025.1553989/full
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