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Ketogenic Diet Improves Sleep Quality in Children with Therapy-resistant Epilepsy.

Hallböök, Tove LU ; Lundgren, Johan LU and Rosén, Ingmar LU (2007) In Epilepsia 48(1). p.59-65
Abstract
Summary: Purpose: The study purpose was to evaluate sleep structure during ketogenic diet (KD) treatment in children with therapy-resistant epilepsy and to correlate possible alterations with changes in clinical effects on seizure reduction, seizure severity, quality of life (QOL), and behavior.



Methods: Eighteen children were examined with ambulatory polysomnographic recordings initially and after 3 months of KD treatment. Eleven children continued with the KD and were also evaluated after 12 months. Sleep parameters were estimated. Seizure frequency was recorded in a diary and seizure severity in the National Health Seizure Severity Scale (NHS3). QOL was assessed with a visual analogue scale. Child behavior checklist... (More)
Summary: Purpose: The study purpose was to evaluate sleep structure during ketogenic diet (KD) treatment in children with therapy-resistant epilepsy and to correlate possible alterations with changes in clinical effects on seizure reduction, seizure severity, quality of life (QOL), and behavior.



Methods: Eighteen children were examined with ambulatory polysomnographic recordings initially and after 3 months of KD treatment. Eleven children continued with the KD and were also evaluated after 12 months. Sleep parameters were estimated. Seizure frequency was recorded in a diary and seizure severity in the National Health Seizure Severity Scale (NHS3). QOL was assessed with a visual analogue scale. Child behavior checklist and Ponsford and Kinsella's rating scale of attentional behavior were used.



Results: KD induced a significant decrease in total sleep (p = 0.05) and total night sleep (p = 0.006). Slow wave sleep was preserved, rapid eye movement (REM) sleep increased (p = 0.01), sleep stage 2 decreased (p = 0.004), and sleep stage 1 was unchanged. Eleven children continued with the KD and were also evaluated after 12 months. They showed a significant decrease in daytime sleep (p = 0.01) and a further increase in REM sleep (p = 0.06). Seizure frequency (p = 0.001, p = 0.003), seizure severity (p < 0.001, p = 0.005) and QOL (p < 0.001, p = 0.005) were significantly improved at 3 and 12 months. Attentional behavior was also improved, significantly so at 3 months (p = 0.003). There was a significant correlation between increased REM sleep and improvement in QOL (Spearman r = 0.6, p = 0.01) at 3 months.



Conclusion: KD decreases sleep and improves sleep quality in children with therapy-resistant epilepsy. The improvement in sleep quality, with increased REM sleep, seems to contribute to the improvement in QOL. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Epilepsia
volume
48
issue
1
pages
59 - 65
publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
external identifiers
  • wos:000243473100006
  • scopus:33846245520
ISSN
0013-9580
DOI
10.1111/j.1528-1167.2006.00834.x
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
c002cacf-b8d8-44a7-b129-9230e1ef2c57 (old id 164719)
alternative location
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=17241208&dopt=Abstract
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 11:46:47
date last changed
2022-04-20 21:41:36
@article{c002cacf-b8d8-44a7-b129-9230e1ef2c57,
  abstract     = {{Summary: Purpose: The study purpose was to evaluate sleep structure during ketogenic diet (KD) treatment in children with therapy-resistant epilepsy and to correlate possible alterations with changes in clinical effects on seizure reduction, seizure severity, quality of life (QOL), and behavior.<br/><br>
<br/><br>
Methods: Eighteen children were examined with ambulatory polysomnographic recordings initially and after 3 months of KD treatment. Eleven children continued with the KD and were also evaluated after 12 months. Sleep parameters were estimated. Seizure frequency was recorded in a diary and seizure severity in the National Health Seizure Severity Scale (NHS3). QOL was assessed with a visual analogue scale. Child behavior checklist and Ponsford and Kinsella's rating scale of attentional behavior were used.<br/><br>
<br/><br>
Results: KD induced a significant decrease in total sleep (p = 0.05) and total night sleep (p = 0.006). Slow wave sleep was preserved, rapid eye movement (REM) sleep increased (p = 0.01), sleep stage 2 decreased (p = 0.004), and sleep stage 1 was unchanged. Eleven children continued with the KD and were also evaluated after 12 months. They showed a significant decrease in daytime sleep (p = 0.01) and a further increase in REM sleep (p = 0.06). Seizure frequency (p = 0.001, p = 0.003), seizure severity (p &lt; 0.001, p = 0.005) and QOL (p &lt; 0.001, p = 0.005) were significantly improved at 3 and 12 months. Attentional behavior was also improved, significantly so at 3 months (p = 0.003). There was a significant correlation between increased REM sleep and improvement in QOL (Spearman r = 0.6, p = 0.01) at 3 months.<br/><br>
<br/><br>
Conclusion: KD decreases sleep and improves sleep quality in children with therapy-resistant epilepsy. The improvement in sleep quality, with increased REM sleep, seems to contribute to the improvement in QOL.}},
  author       = {{Hallböök, Tove and Lundgren, Johan and Rosén, Ingmar}},
  issn         = {{0013-9580}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  pages        = {{59--65}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
  series       = {{Epilepsia}},
  title        = {{Ketogenic Diet Improves Sleep Quality in Children with Therapy-resistant Epilepsy.}},
  url          = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/2638071/625844.pdf}},
  doi          = {{10.1111/j.1528-1167.2006.00834.x}},
  volume       = {{48}},
  year         = {{2007}},
}