Beyond epilepsy
The guidelines also call for pre–ketogenic diet therapy biochemical studies to screen adults for preexisting abnormalities and establish a reference for comparing follow-up results after 3, 6, and 12 months, and then annually or as needed.
They also noted that metabolic studies such as urine organic acid and serum amino acid levels are generally not needed in adults unless there is a strong clinical suspicion for an underlying metabolic disorder.
Updated genetic evaluation may also be considered in adults with intellectual disability and epilepsy of unknown etiology. Serial bone mineral density scans may be obtained every 5 years.
The guidelines also call for ketone monitoring (blood beta-hydroxybutyrate or urine amino acids) during the early months of ketogenic diet therapy as an objective indication of compliance and biochemical response.
Dietary adjustments should focus on optimizing the treatment response, minimizing side effects, and maximizing sustainability.
Adults on a ketogenic diet therapy should also be advised to take multivitamin and mineral supplements and drink plenty of fluids.
The panel said emerging evidence also supports the use of ketogenic diet therapies in other adult neurologic disorders such as migraine, Parkinson’s disease, dementia, and multiple sclerosis.
However, the panel said further evidence is needed to guide recommendations on use of ketogenic diet therapies in other neurologic conditions.
The research had no targeted funding. Dr. Cervenka has reported receiving grants from Nutricia, Vitaflo, BrightFocus Foundation, and Army Research Laboratory; honoraria from the American Epilepsy Society, the Neurology Center, Epigenix, LivaNova, and Nutricia; royalties from Demos; and consulting for Nutricia, Glut1 Deficiency Foundation, and Sage Therapeutics. Disclosures for the other authors are listed in the article.
A version of this article originally appeared on Medscape.com.