Development of a Modified-Atkins Ketogenic Diet Educational Handbook for Children With Epilepsy

The ketogenic diet as a therapeutic intervention for epilepsy is usually indicated after a patient has tried a second antiepileptic medication without improvement in seizure activity. The diet is indicated for patients of any age, including infants, if drug treatment failure occurs and the epilepsy is classified as drug-resistant epilepsy. The Ketogenic Clinic at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA) has prioritized the Modified-Atkins diet for its epilepsy patients due to its less stringent nature. However, the current educational materials for the Modified-Atkins diet are not as robust as those for the classic ketogenic diet. The student investigator has developed a handbook that outlines the Modified-Atkins diet to increase understanding of the diet for the treatment of pediatric epilepsy by children and families receiving treatment at CHOA