The Ketogenic Diet in Drug-resistant Epilepsy
Relevance Epilepsy is a disorder in which periodic seizures are caused by abnormal electrical impulses that occur in the brain. In most people, seizures can be controlled with one or more antiepileptic medications, but sometimes after a while these medications stop helping (so-called drug-resistant-epilepsy). People with drug-resistant epilepsy may be prescribed a special diet (the so-called ketogenic diet). Ketogenic diets are high in fat and low in carbohydrates. The purpose of this review was to study the effects of ketogenic diets on seizure control, cognitive abilities (such as learning, attention, and academic performance in children; learning, attention, and memory in adults), and behavior. We also looked at the side effects of this diet, the number of participants who dropped out of studies, and the reasons for their dropping out. Characteristics…