Urolithiasis on the ketogenic diet with concurrent topiramate or zonisamide therapy
Summary: Children with refractory epilepsy who are co-treated with the ketogenic diet (KD) and carbonic anhydrase inhibitor (CA-I) anti-epileptic medications including topiramate (TPM) and zonisamide (ZNS) are at risk for urolithiasis. Retrospective chart review of all children treated with ketogenic therapy at our institution was performed in order to estimate the minimal risk of developing signs or symptoms of stone disease. Children (N=93) were classified into groups according to KD +/− CA-I co-therapy. Fourteen patients had occult hematuria or worse, including 6 with radiologically confirmed stones. Three of 6 calculi developed in the KD+ZNS group of 17 patients who were co-treated for a cumulative total of 97 months (3.1 stones per 100 patient months). One confirmed stone was in the...

The Anti Epilepsy 'Miracle' Diet
It's always been the old wives' remedy for Epilepsy, that eating a high fat diet, low in carbs would help people reduce or prevent seizures. Now, researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School have uncovered the science behind the so called miracle cure for Epilepsy. The research, which will be published in the May 24th issue of the journal Neuron, suggests that resistance to seizures is caused by a protein that modifies cellular metabolism in the brain... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)