Abstract
Introduction . The prevalence of epilepsy in childhood is 3 to 5.5/1000 worldwide and 8/1000 in Arab countries, including Egypt. All healthy Muslims are obligated to fast the month of Ramadan when they reach puberty as Ramadan fasting is one of the five pillars of Islam. Aim: To evaluate the effect of Ramadan fasting on seizure control in epileptic adolescents. Methods . A prospective cohort study that included 56 epileptic patients aged 11–18 years. Patients were followed-up in the pediatric neurology clinic at Tanta University Children's Hospital during Ramadan 2019. Seizures frequency and severity, measured by Chalfont Seizure Severity Scale, during Ramadan fasting were compared to those in the month before Ramadan. Results . Before Ramadan, 43/56 patients were controlled and seizure-free. Meanwhile, 13/56 patients were uncontrolled and had seizure frequency of 1–6 seizures in the month before Ramadan. There was no significant difference in seizure frequency during Ramadan compared to before Ramadan (p = 0.132), whereas seizure severity was significantly reduced during Ramadan (p = 0.028). Both seizure frequency and severity were significantly lower during Ramadan in uncontrolled epileptic patients compared to before Ramadan (p = 0.02 & 0.005). Conclusion . Ramadan fasting is safe in adolescents with epilepsy. Fasting is not a precipitating factor for seizures in epileptic adolescents, provided compliance to anti-epileptic drugs, and could be beneficial for seizure control in uncontrolled epilepsy.
Published Version
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