Advances in Ketogenic Diet Therapies in Pediatric Epilepsy: A Systematic Review

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Pediatric Medicine
• Nutritional Science

Background:

• Epilepsy is a neurological disorder affecting children and adolescents, often requiring diverse treatment strategies.
• The ketogenic diet, a high-fat, low-carbohydrate regimen, has emerged as a potential therapeutic option for drug-resistant epilepsy.

Approach:

• A systematic literature search was performed using PubMed, adhering to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines.
• Included studies focused on children and adolescents with epilepsy, analyzing various ketogenic diet formulations and their impact on seizure control.
• Twelve studies meeting specific inclusion criteria were selected for data extraction on study design, duration, sample size, population, and intervention type.

Key Points:

• The ketogenic diet and its modified versions demonstrated significant benefits in reducing seizure frequency and severity in pediatric epilepsy patients.
• Commonly observed adverse effects included gastrointestinal disturbances, dehydration, dyslipidemia, hyperuricemia, infection, and metabolic acidosis, which were generally manageable.
• Variations of the ketogenic diet proved effective as both adjunctive and alternative treatments for epilepsy in this population.

Conclusions:

• The ketogenic diet is a viable treatment option for managing epilepsy in children and adolescents, offering seizure reduction benefits.
• Treatment success and tolerability are influenced by individual patient compliance and the presence of comorbidities.
• Further research may explore optimizing ketogenic diet protocols to maximize efficacy and minimize adverse events in pediatric epilepsy.