Acute phenytoin toxicity mimicking as acute febrile encephalopathy: A case report and review of literature

Phenytoin is a commonly used drug in paediatric emergency and outpatient treatment in developing countries. However it can produce significant dose-related toxicity because of its zero order pharmacokinetics. Rarely this can produce unusual symptoms like fever, vomiting and altered sensorium masquerading as acute encephalitis. Here we report this unusual presentation of phenytoin toxicity and discuss possible approaches to minimize the possibility of dosing error in prescription of phenytoin.