Death Due to Phenytoin Poisoning in an Intellectually Disabled Female Child: A Case Report

Abstract

Phenytoin is a commonly used anticonvulsant, but its narrow therapeutic window can lead to toxicity, often due to medication errors or, in some cases, due to intentional overdose. In this article, we present a case of a 12-year-old intellectually disabled female child, who was on phenytoin treatment for seizure disorder and accidentally ingested about 10-15 pills, resulting in fatal toxicity and death. The child presented with a few episodes of vomiting; seizures, followed by respiratory depression before succumbing to the overdose. This case highlights the importance of drug regulators ensuring safe manufacturing practices for medications used in chronic conditions like seizure disorder to prevent unintentional poisonings. At the same time, it is the responsibility of health care professionals, both clinicians and pharmacists to educate the caregivers of children about the hazards of accidental drug poisoning in children.

Keywords

• phenytoin
• intellectual disability
• paediatric toxicity
• female child