All issues > Volume 46(11); 2003

Case Report

J Korean Pediatr Soc. 2003;46(11):1131-1134. Published online November 15, 2003.

A Case of Infantile Spasm Associated with Acute Renal Failure and Kwashiorkor after Ketogenic Diet

Young-Myoung YM Kim¹, Tae-Hong TH Kim¹, Jin-A JA Jung¹, Kyu-Geun KG Hwang¹

¹Department of Pediatrics, Dong-A University Medical School, Busan, Korea

Correspondence Kyu-Geun KG Hwang ,Email: kghyang@daunet.donga.ac.kr

Abstract

The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, low-protein, low-carbohydrate diet developed in the 1920s for the treatment of difficult-to-control seizures. Despite advances in both the pharmacotherapy and the surgery of epilepsy, many children continue to have difficult-to-control seizures. In this situation, a ketogenic diet should be considered as an alternative therapy. However, less attention has been paid to associated adverse events in the ketogenic diet. We report a case of infantile spasm associated with acute renal failure, lipoid pneumonitis and kwashiorkor after ketogenic diet. A better understanding of this adverse event profile will allow the pediatric neurologist to have a true informed consent discussion with the care giver when considering initiation of the ketogenic diet.

Keywords :Ketogenic diet, Acute renal failure, Kwashiorkor