The ketogenic diet in pharmacoresistant childhood epilepsy

Expert Rev Neurother. 2015 Jun;15(6):621-8. doi: 10.1586/14737175.2015.1044982. Epub 2015 May 20.

Abstract

Available pharmacologic treatments for seizures are limited in their efficacy. For a patient with seizures, pharmacologic treatment with available anticonvulsant medications leads to seizure control in <70% of patients. Surgical resection can lead to control in a select subset of patients but still leaves a significant number of patients with uncontrolled seizures. The ketogenic diet and related diets have proven to be useful in pharmacoresistant childhood epilepsy.

Keywords: GLUT-1 deficiency; MCT diet; doose syndrome; epilepsy; infantile spasms; ketogenic; lennox-gastaut syndrome; low glycemic index diet; modified atkins diet; seizures.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Child
  • Diet, Ketogenic / methods*
  • Drug Resistant Epilepsy / diet therapy*
  • Humans