The Effect of Ketogenic Diet Treatment in Drug-resistant Epilepsies of Childhood

Abstract

Epilepsy is an important health issue. The interest in ketogenic diet (KD) treatment in children and adolescents with drug-resistant epilepsy has increased in recent years. It was thought that KD was a last option of treatment in patients who were unresponsive to 2 or 3 anticonvulsant drugs. KD with limited protein, low carbohydrate, and high fat content was thought as a last option of treatment, previously. However, nowadays it is the most selected therapy worldwide in epileptic children and adolescents. Ketone bodies are elevated in the blood due to low carbohydrate and high lipid content of KD. Through the elevation of ketone bodies, the brain uses ketone bodies as energy sources, which results in decreased in epileptic seizures. Medical nutritional therapy during treatment of childhood epilepsies should also provide normal growth and development. For this reason, full compliance with the diet is important. The effect, place, and importance of ketogenic nutrition therapy in drug-resistant epilepsies of childhood are discussed in this review.