Keto Diet Reduces Seizure Frequency in Infants
The ketogenic diet is an effective, safe, and well-tolerated treatment option for infants with intractable epilepsy, according to a new study.
To reach this conclusion, the researchers analyzed medical records of 109 patients aged younger than 3 years who had medically intractable epilepsy (defined as persistent seizures despite the use of 2 or more appropriate anticonvulsants at therapeutic dose) and who were treated with the ketogenic diet from April 2004 to June 2014 at the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago.
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From the medical records, the researchers collected information on patient demographics, seizure types, seizure frequency, epilepsy syndrome, etiology, magnetic resonance imaging findings, and electroencephalogram findings.
While the youngest patient included in the analysis was aged 3 weeks, the mean age at initiation of the ketogenic diet was aged 1.4 ± 0.8 years. The researchers determined, however, that the age at initiation was unrelated to eventual seizure outcome.
In all, 42 of the 109 patients responded to the diet and experienced more than 50% seizure reduction after 3 months. Of these 42 patients, 20 achieved complete seizure control, and 3 experienced more than 90% seizure reduction.
Those who had a confirmed genetic abnormality were more likely to have a more positive response in seizure reduction with the ketogenic diet. According to the study authors, nearly half of the patients with a confirmed genetic abnormality had a reduction in seizure frequency of more than 50%.
For the initial 3 months, the diet was not only effective but was also safely implemented and well tolerated. While 63% of patients experienced at least 1 adverse event during their first 3 months on the ketogenic diet, no patient reported a diet-related critical adverse event.
Only 3% to 5% of children discontinued the diet because of adverse events; it was parental dissatisfaction with the diet that was the leading cause of early withdrawal.
“This finding emphasizes the extensive amount of multidisciplinary support that parents need while using the diet, especially during the complicated period of solid food introduction,” the researchers explained.
—Colleen Murphy
Reference:
Kim SH, Shaw A, Blackford R, et al. The ketogenic diet in children 3 years of age or younger: a 10-year single-center experience. Sci Rep. 2019;9(1):8736. doi:10.1038/s41598-019-45147-6.