Abstract
Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders of childhood. Treatment of epileptic seizures is governed by weighing the benefit- risk of using anti-epileptic drugs. An important limitation of their use is that, in at least one third of patients, seizures are resistant to the available older and new-generation anti-epileptic drugs. This challenge makes the non-pharmacologic mode of treatment an attractive option. With the global demonstration of the therapeutic benefits of the ketogenic diet signaling a possible paradigm shift, evaluating its risk profile will help to establish its benefit-risk ratio. Multifaceted side effects of the diet have been reported in several studies but have not precluded its use. To promote its world-wide acceptability, its components should be modified to include locallyavailable food stuffs. The present review aims to highlight and compare the benefit-risk ratio of using anti-epileptic drugs and the ketogenic diet in the treatment of refractory childhood epilepsy.
Highlights
Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders of childhood [1,2]
The present review aims to highlight and compare the benefit-risk ratio of using anti-epileptic drugs and the ketogenic diet in the treatment of refractory childhood epilepsy
Ketogenic diets are being increasingly studied for neurological disorders other than epilepsy, such as Alzheimer's disease, autism and brain tumor; insights from basic science research have helped to clarify the mechanisms by which metabolism-based therapy may be helpful, in terms of both an anticonvulsant and possibly a neuroprotective effect [30]
Summary
Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders of childhood [1,2]. By definition, it is a condition in which a subject is predisposed to recurrent seizures due to a disorder of the central nervous system: a seizure referring to a sudden, involuntary, timelimited alteration in behavior, including a change in motor activity, in autonomic function, in consciousness, or in sensation, accompanied by an abnormal electrical discharge in the brain [3]. The present review aims to highlight and compare the benefit-risk ratio of using anti-epileptic drugs and the ketogenic diet in the treatment of refractory childhood epilepsy.
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