Hyperglycemia with Relative Hypoinsulinemia in Diphenylhydantoin Toxicity

Abstract
A RECENTLY recognized toxic effect of diphenylhydantoin (Dilantin, DPH) overdosage is a reversible hyperglycemia.1 2 3 We have studied a case of reversible hyperglycemia, with defective serum insulin response to carbohydrate, in a patient hospitalized for symptoms of DPH overdosage.Case ReportAtaxia, diplopia, lethargy and headaches developed over a period of 4 months in a 17-year-old girl with a convulsive disorder and a family history of diabetes mellitus. Generalized convulsions had begun at age 13 years when diphenylhydantoin, 5 mg per kilogram of body weight per day, was prescribed. For 2 years before the 1st admission to University of Iowa Hospital . . .