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Use of the modified Atkins diet in infantile spasms refractory to first-line treatment

Suvasini Sharma1, Naveen Sankhyan, Sheffali Gulati

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India. sharma.suvasini@gmail.com

Seizure
|September 17, 2011
PubMed

Insights

The modified Atkins diet effectively reduced infantile spasms in children. Six out of fifteen children became spasm-free within three months, showing good tolerability with constipation as the main side effect.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Neurology
  • Clinical Nutrition
  • Epilepsy Research

Background:

  • Infantile spasms (IS) are a severe epilepsy syndrome in infants.
  • Refractory IS often requires exploring alternative therapeutic strategies.
  • The modified Atkins diet (MAD) is a ketogenic therapy with potential for epilepsy management.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of the modified Atkins diet in children with refractory infantile spasms.
  • To assess the impact of carbohydrate restriction on seizure control in this population.

Main Methods:

  • A prospective, open-label, uncontrolled study.
  • Fifteen children (6 months-3 years) with refractory IS were enrolled.
  • Carbohydrate intake was restricted to 10 grams/day.

Main Results:

  • Six out of fifteen children achieved spasm freedom after three months on the MAD.
  • Spasm freedom was achieved between two days and two months after diet initiation.
  • Constipation was the most frequent adverse effect observed.

Conclusions:

  • The modified Atkins diet is an effective and well-tolerated treatment option for children with refractory infantile spasms.
  • Dietary interventions like MAD offer a viable alternative for managing difficult-to-treat epilepsy syndromes.
  • Further research with controlled trials is warranted to confirm these findings.

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