title: Experience in the use of the ketogenic diet as early therapy.
abstract: The ketogenic diet has traditionally been considered an anticonvulsant therapy of last resort, despite excellent efficacy and limited side effects. We hypothesized that the ketogenic diet would have similar results in patients with new-onset epilepsy. A retrospective study was conducted of patients started on the ketogenic diet since 1994. Thirteen of 460 (2.8%) patients were started on the ketogenic diet as early (zero or one prior anticonvulsant) therapy for seizures. Of those remaining on the diet, 60% (6 of 10) had a > 90% seizure reduction at 6 months and 100% (6 of 6) had a > 90% reduction at 12 months. Patients with infantile spasms were as likely to achieve > 50% seizure reduction at 6 months as patients with other seizure types (75% vs 60%; P = .6). The ketogenic diet can be a valuable therapy before epilepsy becomes intractable. In the 13 patients reported, efficacy without side effects was achieved similarly to that with patients with intractable epilepsy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Pediatric Epilepsy Center, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, MD 21287-1000, USA. jrubens2@jhmi.edu
authors.forename: James E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Rubenstein
authors.forename: Eric H
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Kossoff
authors.forename: Paula L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Pyzik
authors.forename: Eileen P G
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: Vining
authors.forename: Jane R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: McGrogan
authors.forename: John M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Freeman
mesh_terms: D017668:Age of Onset; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004041:Dietary Fats; D004351:Drug Resistance; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000178:diet therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007659:Ketones; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D004041:Dietary Fats; D007659:Ketones