The KetoGator Team works with patients who are receiving ketogenic therapy for intractable epilepsy. Fasting has been documented since antiquity as having the ability to control “fits”. We assume that the described “fits” were in fact seizures. In the 1920’s, physicians reported that fasting epilepsy patients effectively controlled their seizures. A diet was developed that tries to mimic the effects of fasting by being so high in fat that the body is forced to metabolize fat instead of glucose. This therapy was shown to effectively control seizures in some patients. The mechanism of the therapy is still unknown. What is known is the therapy induces a state of ketosis where there is an elevated concentration of ketone bodies in the blood. This is speculated to somehow affect the brain, but currently, there is no established relationship.
Our main goals are to improve patient care and to further understand the mechanisms of the ketogenic therapy. The diet is time-consuming to administer and frustrating to the patients because of the severe carbohydrate restrictions. In order to maximize patient compliance, we support the families as much as possible in a variety of ways. We do this by producing an informative quarterly newsletter, maintaining extensive food and drug databases for meal-making and patient care purposes, and weekly patient communication. The KetoGators maintain an informational website for patient families. Additionally, we provide educational materials to facilitate administration of the therapy. The KetoGators attend clinic and gather data from patients for analysis. These data are entered into a population database which provides information about these patients’ growth, medications, seizures, and diet. Each team member closely follows a group of patients and helps maintain communication with the ketogenic therapy team at Shands Hospital.
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