Ketogenic Diet for Child Epilepsy and Seizure Control
Summary
Twenty to thirty percent of children with epilepsy continue to suffer from seizures, even when treated with currently available anticonvulsant medications. Children with Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome (LGS) are particularly handicapped by atonic-myoclonic seizures. Preliminary data suggest that even when other medications have failed, these seizures may respond rapidly and dramatically to a high-fat-low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet. The purpose of the study is to assess if the classic ketogenic diet is efficacious in reducing seizure frequency, medication toxicity, and improves quality of life.
Description
The ketogenic diet (KD) is a form of therapy for seizures that involves a brief period of fasting followed by a very carefully controlled high fat-low protein and carbohydrate diet. Studies suggest it is useful in children whose seizures could not be controlled by any of the medicines available. This study is designed to test, in a carefully controlled fashion, how well the diet works in children with "drop" seizures. Children who experience 15 or more drop seizures each day, despite having used at least two medications, may be eligible to participate. This study requires children to undergo periods of fasting and to maintain a carefully controlled diet. Parents of participating children monitor their children's diets and keep daily meal and seizure diaries.
Study Design
Allocation: Randomized, Control: Placebo Control, Masking: Double-Blind, Primary Purpose: Treatment
Conditions
Epilepsy
Intervention
Ketogenic diet
Location
Johns Hopkins Hospital
Baltimore
Maryland
United States
21287
Status
Completed
Source
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
Results (where available)
Links
- Source: http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT00004729
- Information obtained from ClinicalTrials.gov on July 15, 2010
Medical and Biotech [MESH] Definitions
Ketogenic Diet
A course of food intake that is high in FATS and low in CARBOHYDRATES. This diet provides sufficient PROTEINS for growth but insufficient amount of carbohydrates for the energy needs of the body. A ketogenic diet generates 80-90% of caloric requirements from fats and the remainder from proteins.
Diet, Carbohydrate-restricted
A diet that contains limited amounts of CARBOHYDRATES. This is in distinction to a regular DIET.
Diet
Regular course of eating and drinking adopted by a person or animal. This does not include DIET THERAPY, a specific diet prescribed in the treatment of a disease.
Diet, Fat-restricted
A diet that contains limited amounts of fat with less than 30% of calories from all fats and less than 10% from saturated fat. Such a diet is used in control of HYPERLIPIDEMIAS. (From Bondy et al, Metabolic Control and Disease, 8th ed, pp468-70; Dorland, 27th ed)
Diet, Gluten-free
A diet which is devoid of GLUTENS from WHEAT; BARLEY; RYE; and other wheat-related varieties. The diet is designed to reduce exposure to those proteins in gluten that trigger INFLAMMATION of the small intestinal mucosa in patients with CELIAC DISEASE.
Clinical Trials
RCT of the Efficacy of the Ketogenic Diet in the Treatment of Epilepsy
A study of the efficacy and tolerability of two different ketogenic diets in children with drug resistant epilepsy; children resistant to at least two drugs randomised to reveive diet afte...
Ketogenic Diet vs.Antiepileptic Drug Treatment in Drug Resistant Epilepsy
This is an open randomized controlled study in children with mental retardation and refractory epilepsy in which treatment with ketogenic diet (KD) is compared with treatment with the anti...
Modified Atkins Diet in Childhood Epilepsy
Seizures are a frequent cause of morbidity in the pediatric age group. Uncontrolled seizures pose a variety of risks to children, including higher rates of mortality, developmental delay...
Efficacy of Modified Ketogenic Diet (Atkins) in Management of Epilepsy
The purpose of this study is to determine whether patients with uncontrolled epilepsy can follow a low carbohydrate diet long-term and if so, how will that diet affect their seizures
Use of the Atkins Diet for Children With Sturge Weber Syndrome
This research is being done to find out if the Atkins Diet can be used safely and effectively to reduce seizures in children who have Sturge Weber syndrome. The ketogenic diet is a proven...
PubMed Articles
Do Patients With Absence Epilepsy Respond to Ketogenic Diets?
Dietary therapies are established as beneficial for symptomatic generalized epilepsies such as Lennox-Gastaut syndrome; however, the outcome for idiopathic generalized epilepsy has never been specific...
The modified Atkins diet is a high-fat, low-carbohydrate treatment for intractable childhood epilepsy. As data suggest that a stricter diet onset can be more effective, we added a ketogenic supplement...
ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Epilepsy is a neurological disorder, characterized by recurrent unprovoked seizures which have a high impact on the individual as well as on society as a whole. In addition to th...
The ketogenic diet can be effective in children who suffer from drug-resistant epilepsy. However, it is still hard to predict how large an effect this diet will have for an individual child. Previous...
A Ketogenic Diet (KD) mimics the anticonvulsant effects of fasting, which are known to suppress seizures. The purinergic system has been investigated in the matter of epilepsy development, especially...
