The role of the ketogenic diet in the therapeutic strategy for childhood epilepsy

Résumé

This book examines the ketogenic diet as a specialized therapeutic option for childhood epilepsies, particularly drug-resistant forms and selected neurometabolic diseases. It first explains the scientific basis of the diet, including energy metabolism, ketogenesis, effects on neurotransmission, inflammation, oxidative stress, mitochondria, and the gut microbiota. It then places the diet within the broader clinical framework of pediatric epilepsy and details indications, variants, practical implementation, efficacy assessment, adverse effects, and long-term monitoring. The manuscript also emphasizes careful patient selection, structured dietary support, therapeutic education, and multidisciplinary family-centered care, presenting the ketogenic diet as neither a marginal option nor a universal solution