Diphenylhydantoin Sensitivity

IT has been well recognized that untoward effects may follow the extended ingestion of diphenylhydantoin sodium (Dilantin) and may at times prove fatal.1 , 2 Sensitivity to this agent has resulted in fatal disseminated periarteritis nodosa in 1 reported case,3 and has been held responsible for inducing the "L.E." phenomenon.4 The particular manifestations that resulted in the fatal outcome recorded below are not well recognized, and, consequently, a proper diagnosis was made only after delay and confusion.Case ReportR.S., a 29-year-old Negro factory mechanic, was first hospitalized on March 1, 1953, because of lethargy after a convulsive seizure. There had been . . .