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Use of the modified Atkins diet in infantile spasms refractory to first-line treatment
Seizure - European Journal of Epilepsy, 09/20/2011
Sharma S et al. – The most frequent adverse effect observed was constipation. The modified Atkins diet was found to be effective and well tolerated in children with refractory infantile spasms.
Methods- 15 consecutive children aged six months to three years having daily infantile spasms in clusters with electroencephalographic evidence of hypsarrhythmia despite treatment with hormonal treatment (oral corticosteroids/adrenocorticotrophic hormone) and/or vigabatrin, and at least one additional anti–epileptic drug were enrolled.
- Children with known or suspected inborn errors of metabolism or systemic illnesses were excluded.
- Carbohydrate intake was restricted to ten grams/day.
- Among these 12 boys and three girls (median age–24 months), 13 had symptomatic etiology.
- After three months of diet, six children were spasm free.
- Time to spasm freedom after diet initiation ranged from two days to two months.
- Most frequent adverse effect observed was constipation.