A young boy taking Dilantin for epilepsy since he was a year old has been diagnosed with severe focal cerebral atrophy. Doctors confirmed the cerebellar atrophy after examining the child who was slurring his speech, had lack of muscle coordination and an uncoordinated walk.

According to the medical journal that published the case study, a four-year old boy was brought in by his mother who informed physicians that she had been instructed to give her son three fourths of a 100 mg Dilantin (phenytoin) tablet to treat his epileptic condition for three years.

According to the mother, she used a knife to break the Dilantin tablet daily which inadvertently may have exposed her son to an overdose of Dilantin. Doctors ordered a CT brain scan which showed focal cerebral atrophy.

While doctors were hesitant to link cerebellar atrophy with Dilantin, they point to the fact that the boy had been seizure free for nearly 10 months while taking Dilantin before the focal cerebral atrophy symptoms occurred to claim that it was most likely caused by a high level of phenytoin in his system.

Physicians followed-up with the boy three months later and found that the slurred speech and unsteady walk continued but there was no increase in its severity.

Focal Cerebral Atrophy Overview

The cerebellum portion of the brain is what controls body movements including balance, speech, posture and coordination. When focal cerebral atrophy occurs, the brain tissue cells have lost neurons and the connections between them which makes even the simplest of tasks difficult to achieve.

Focal cerebral atrophy symptoms include the following:

• Slow speech
• Slurred speech
• Nystagmus (small, rapid movements in the eyes)
• Unsteady, lurching walk, which often includes a back and forth tremor in the main part of the body
• Slow, unsteady, jerky movements in the arms or legs

Sometimes, symptoms of cerebellar atrophy can be treated once patients are taken off of Dilantin. However, depending on how long they have been taking Dilantin, focal cerebral atrophy can leave permanent muscle coordination injuries. 

Cerebellar Atrophy Studies

In a Dilantin study published in 2003, researchers analyzed epileptic patients who were taking Dilantin for longer than two months in order to track their cerebellar volume. Researchers concluded that some Dilantin patients showed focal cerebral atrophy.

Out of that group, nearly half had moderate atrophy, nearly half experienced mild atrophy and some had severe atrophy.

These findings backed-up a previously conducted Dilantin study that found a alink between phenytoin use and cerebellar atrophy. In that study, Dilantin patients experiencing either moderate or severe cerebral atrophy were those who had a longer exposure to phenytoin.

From these studies, researchers found that patients taking Dilantin for longer periods of time have an increased risk for developing focal cerebral atrophy.

Dilantin Cerebral Atrophy Investigation

Dilantin is a commonly prescribed anti-seizure medication, especially popular for epileptic patients. Phenytoin cerebral atrophy attorneys are investigating the link between Dilantin and cerebellar degeneration.

If you took Dilantin (phenytoin) and were diagnosed with focal cerebral atrophy, you could be eligible to file an Dilantin cerebellar atrophy lawsuit.