Ketogenic diet in Indian children with uncontrolled epilepsy

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Neurology
• Metabolic Therapies
• Epilepsy Management

Background:

• Epilepsy is a common neurological disorder in children, often requiring multiple anti-seizure medications.
• Uncontrolled epilepsy significantly impacts a child's quality of life and development.
• The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet that has shown promise in managing refractory epilepsy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the efficacy of a ketogenic diet in Indian children with uncontrolled epilepsy.
• To compare the diet's effectiveness in different epilepsy types: epileptic encephalopathies and localization-related epilepsies.

Main Methods:

• A prospective observational study was conducted at a hospital.
• 105 children (4 months to 18 years) with uncontrolled epilepsy were enrolled in a ketogenic diet program.
• Seizure frequency reduction was the primary outcome measure, with follow-up for a median of 17 months.

Main Results:

• 68 out of 105 children (65%) remained on the ketogenic diet.
• 37% achieved 100% seizure control, and 22% achieved 90-99% control.
• Epileptic encephalopathies demonstrated a more favorable response to the ketogenic diet than localization-related epilepsies.

Conclusions:

• The Indian adaptation of the ketogenic diet is well-tolerated and effective for managing drug-resistant childhood epilepsy.
• The ketogenic diet offers a viable therapeutic option for pediatric epilepsy in India.
• Epileptic encephalopathies appear to benefit more significantly from ketogenic diet therapy.