HYPERVITAMINOSIS A

Abstract

The paucity of published reports of hypervitaminosis A indicates the relatively low incidence of this syndrome. However, the increasing number of publications about the symptom complex since Josephs' 1 article in 1944 suggests that many cases of clinical hypervitaminosis A may have been overlooked in the past. Prompted by new findings, leading medical journals on each side of the Atlantic Ocean recently have had editorials on the subject. 2 In addition to Josephs' description, Toomey and Morissette, 3 Rothman and Leon, 4 Fried and Grand, 5 Dickey and Bradley, 6 Wyatt, Carabello and Fletcher 7 and Caffey 8 have presented additional material concerning the now well established syndrome of hypervitaminosis A in man. Furthermore, experiments on laboratory animals given large doses of vitamin A have not only helped to delineate the clinical signs but, of greater importance, have provided material for the study of physiological, chemical and histological changes induced