Ketogenic Diet for New-Onset Absence Epilepsy

The ketogenic diet is a medical therapy for epilepsy that is used nearly predominantly for refractory epilepsy (after 2-3 drugs have been tried and failed). However, there is both published evidence for first-line use (infantile spasms, Glut1 deficiency syndrome) and also anecdotal experience (families choosing to change the child's (or the family' own) diet rather than use anticonvulsant medications). Childhood absence epilepsy (refractory) has been published as being responsive to ketogenic diet therapy by the investigators' group previously. This is a small, prospective, 3 month trial to assess if using a modified Atkins diet is a feasible and effective option for new-onset childhood absence epilepsy. The investigators will compare to a group of children in which the parents have declined and chose to start anticonvulsant medications.

NCT Number	NCT04274179
Lead Sponsor	Johns Hopkins University
Conditions	Absence Epilepsy, Ketogenic Dieting, Epilepsy, Absence
Enrollment	40 participants
Start Date	2020-08-10
Primary Completion	2028-05-01 (estimated)
Study Completion	2028-05-01 (estimated)
Updated on ClinicalTrials.gov	2026-05-07