TÌNH TRẠNG DINH DƯỠNG CỦA BỆNH NHÂN ĐỘNG KINH KHÁNG THUỐC ĐƯỢC CAN THIỆP CHẾ ĐỘ ĂN KETO TẠI BỆNH VIỆN NHI TRUNG ƯƠNG

Abstract

Objective: To assess the nutritional status of patients with drug-resistant epilepsy undergoing a ketogenic diet intervention at the Neurology Center, Central Children's Hospital, from 2023 to 2024. Research Method: Cross-sectional descriptive study. Results: For the one-year study, 40 children diagnosed with drug-resistant epilepsy were prescribed a ketogenic diet. The average age of the children was 6.4 ± 4.2 years (ranging from 2 months to 15.7 years). The two most common types of epilepsy observed were atonic seizures (22.5%) and focal seizures (17.5%). Nutritional issues included mild underweight (15%), wasting (27.5%), and stunting (20%); 10% of the children were overweight or obese. However, only 26 children adhered to the ketogenic diet for 3 months. After 3 months on the ketogenic diet, there was an improvement in nutritional status: the rate of underweight decreased from 26.1% to 17.4%, and wasting decreased from 23.1% to 11.5%. Before the intervention, 72.5% of the children did not meet their recommended energy intake. Micronutrient deficiencies remained high, particularly for calcium, vitamin D, and iron, with 82.5%, 42.5%, and 25%, respectively. Conclusion: The prevalence of malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies remains high among children with drug-resistant epilepsy, indicating that their dietary intake still does not meet the recommended nutritional needs.