<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><sec id="j_joepi-2018-004_s_001"><h3>Introduction.</h3><p>Finding an effective epilepsy treatment has been a challenge in medicine for centuries. It is especially difficult to treat drug-resistant epilepsy, which accounts for 20–30% of epilepsy cases, even after the introduction of numerous new anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs). This gives an incentive to search for therapies other than pharmacotherapy, e.g. the ketogenic diet (KD).</p></sec><sec id="j_joepi-2018-004_s_002"><h3>Aim.</h3><p>The present review paper aims to present the current state of knowledge regarding the effectiveness of the KD, its mechanism of action, indications, method of treatment and potential adverse effects.</p></sec><sec id="j_joepi-2018-004_s_003"><h3>Material and method.</h3><p>The review covers relevant most recent (up to March 2018) papers using PubMed and Medline databases.</p></sec><sec id="j_joepi-2018-004_s_004"><h3>Results and discussion.</h3><p>The history of the KD dates back to ancient times. It was believed to be very promising at the beginning of the last century, but then was temporarily ‘forgotten’ and has been undergoing a second renaissance since around 1990. It is currently recognised in most countries. The KD is administered mainly to children but over the last few years there have been attempts to use it in adults as well. The theoretical basis of the diet consists in the fact that it ‘mimics’ the metabolic state of an organism subject to fasting by replacing the basic source of energy for the brain, that is glucose, with ketone bodies, which are a product of fat breakdown. In spite of scientific progress, the exact mechanism underlying the KD is still not known. Its effectiveness, at first mainly as an add-on therapy, and in some cases as the first-line monotherapy, is rated quite highly (&lt;50% seizure reduction in &lt;50% patients; of which in 20–30% of patients seizures are reduced by &lt;90%). It can be used to treat all types of epileptic seizures after excluding contraindications. The KD, like any medical therapy for serious illnesses, may cause adverse effects. Most of them are mild, can be prevented, and if they occur, can be fairly easily treated</p></sec><sec id="j_joepi-2018-004_s_005"><h3>Conclusion.</h3><p>The KD as add-on therapy or as monotherapy is a medical treatment of epilepsy administered under medical supervision.</p></sec></abstract>

Introduction.Finding an effective epilepsy treatment has been a challenge in medicine for centuries. It is especially difficult to treat drug-resistant epilepsy, which accounts for 20–30% of epilepsy cases, even after the introduction of numerous new anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs). This gives an incentive to search for therapies other than pharmacotherapy, e.g. the ketogenic diet (KD).Aim.The present review paper aims to present the current state of knowledge regarding the effectiveness of the KD, its mechanism of action, indications, method of treatment and potential adverse effects.Material and method.The review covers relevant most recent (up to March 2018) papers using PubMed and Medline databases.Results and discussion.The history of the KD dates back to ancient times. It was believed to be very promising at the beginning of the last century, but then was temporarily ‘forgotten’ and has been undergoing a second renaissance since around 1990. It is currently recognised in most countries. The KD is administered mainly to children but over the last few years there have been attempts to use it in adults as well. The theoretical basis of the diet consists in the fact that it ‘mimics’ the metabolic state of an organism subject to fasting by replacing the basic source of energy for the brain, that is glucose, with ketone bodies, which are a product of fat breakdown. In spite of scientific progress, the exact mechanism underlying the KD is still not known. Its effectiveness, at first mainly as an add-on therapy, and in some cases as the first-line monotherapy, is rated quite highly (<50% seizure reduction in <50% patients; of which in 20–30% of patients seizures are reduced by <90%). It can be used to treat all types of epileptic seizures after excluding contraindications. The KD, like any medical therapy for serious illnesses, may cause adverse effects. Most of them are mild, can be prevented, and if they occur, can be fairly easily treatedConclusion.The KD as add-on therapy or as monotherapy is a medical treatment of epilepsy administered under medical supervision.

Ketogenic diet in epilepsy: an updated review

Journal of Epileptology

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

{"article-title":"Ketogenic diet in epilepsy: an updated review"}

Introduction.Finding an effective epilepsy treatment has been a challenge in medicine for centuries. It is especially difficult to treat drug-resistant...

Ketogenic diet in epilepsy: an updated review

Article Category: research-article

Published Online: Aug 27, 2018

Page range: 27 - 47

Received: Jun 04, 2018

Accepted: Aug 27, 2018

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21307/joepi-2018-004

Keywords
ketogenic diet, epilepsy

© 2018 Magdalena Dudzińska., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Ketogenic diet in epilepsy: an updated review

Article Category: research-article

Published Online: Aug 27, 2018

Page range: 27 - 47

Received: Jun 04, 2018

Accepted: Aug 27, 2018

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21307/joepi-2018-004

Keywordsketogenic diet, epilepsy

© 2018 Magdalena Dudzińska., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Keywords
ketogenic diet, epilepsy