Clinical Experience of Ketogenic Diet on Children with Refractory Epilepsy

Abstract

Thirteen children with refractory epilepsy received a ketogenic diet (medium chain triglyceride oil diet) as an alternative therapy since September 1997. Their seizure patterns included (1) generalized tonic-clonic seizures, (2) myoclonic seizures, (3) generalized tonic+atonic seizures, (4) complex partial seizures, (5) generalized clonic+atonic+myoclonic seizures, (6) head nodding+myoclonic+gelastic seizures, and (7) generalized tonic-clonic + myoclonic + atonic seizures. Major concerns emphasized on the efficacy and side effects of the diet. Clinical observation one month after the diet revealed that 53.8% of the patients had a＞75% reduction in seizure frequency and 76.9% of the patients had a＞50% reduction in seizure frequency. Six patients had some degrees of improvement in cognitive function and! or school performances. The most common side effects were body weight loss (n=6) and diarrhea (n=5). Others included bad temper (n=1), abdominal cramps (n=2), nausea (n=2), bad body smell (n=1), and renal stones (n=1). Even after discontinuation of the diet, 61.5% of patients still had a＞50% reduction in seizure frequency. We concluded that the ketogenic diet deserves a trial in children with refractory epilepsy.