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Epilepsy and Seizures
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Several papers (some linked to below) report how Epilepsy and seizures are commonly associated with Celiac Disease or hidden allergies to gluten, and vice versa. Several papers also report that if started early enough the Gluten Free Diet can be effective in treating Epilepsy in cases where drugs alone fail to work.
One good way to get more information is to search the Internet for the titles of research papers and articles listed in the abstracts and bibliographies included in the links and clippings below. Usually, at least the abstract is available, but sometimes you can read the whole piece. As you read the research, keep in mind that the fact that blood test methods were historically used in the reported studies means, that the association between gluten and seizures might be even much higher than reported because of the problem of false negative tests. (Negative blood and biopsy tests for Celiac Disease for a child with seizures really don’t mean too much – as some of the studies suggest, the real test is whether or not the patient improves on the diet.) (Read about tests.)
Because white matter lesions in the brain are recognized as a cause of epilepsy, and because white matter lesions are now recognized as one of two common brain injuries caused by gluten, and because the Gluten Free Diet even helps drug-responsive Epilepsy, and because the Gluten Free Diet works best when started early, one wonders why the Gluten Free Diet is only a treatment of last resort. (Part of the answer is that the research is recent and doctors were taught until recently that wheat allergies were rare.)
(Click on hypertext to follow the links)
Some Collections of Abstracts
BrainTalk Communities: Gluten and Seizures
Medline: Epilepsy and Celiac (through May, 1996)
Some Papers and Articles:
Cork University: Diet does work with Epilepsy if started early enough
Celiac.com: Diet stops Seizures.
(Sorry, Broken will try to fix) Epilepsy is the most frequent neurologic complication of Celiac Disease
Clippings: Gluten and Seizures
The following items are clippings of a sample of articles that address Epilepsy and Gluten. Bold highlights for emphasis and italicized comments are added by Harold Kraus.
Clipping
from http://www.celiac.com/st_prod.html?p_prodid=78
Why So Many Intolerant To Gluten ? - by Luigi Greco,
D.C.H., M.Sc.(MCH), M.D., Department of Pediatrics, University of Naples
06/30/1995
We have recently reported on Lancet (1) a consistent
cohort of patients affected by drug-resistant epilepsy with cerebral
calcifications, half of which were cured by a gluten-free diet. All
had an atrophic jejunal mucosa, which recovered on a gluten free diet.
Gluten intolerance is now a recognized cause of brain calcifications and
epilepsy, of dementia, of psychiatric disturbances: many researchers believe
that, in genetically predisposed subjects, gluten is not healthy for the brain
function (2).
Clipping
from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=P12956865&dopt=Abstract
1: Acta Neurol Scand. 2003 Oct;108(4):290-3. Related Articles, Links
Celiac disease and epilepsy: favorable outcome in a
child with difficult to control seizures.
Pratesi R, Modelli IC, Martins RC, Almeida PL,
Gandolfi L.
Department of Pediatric Neurology, Brasilia
University Hospital, University of Brasilia, Brasilia DF, Brazil.
riccardoop@abordo.com.br
We report the case of a child with difficulties to
control epilepsy and celiac disease, diagnosed soon after the onset of the
seizure disorder. Seizure frequency and pattern, in addition to
electroencephalogram record were suggestive of Lennox-Gastaut syndrome.
Diagnosis of celiac disease was determined by positive anti-endomysium and
anti-transglutaminase tests, and abnormal jejunal biopsy. Gluten-free diet,
started soon after the diagnosis, led to progressive seizure control, allowing
significant decrease in dosage of anti-epileptic drugs. This case
corroborates the importance of serological screening tests for celiac disease,
at least in patients with difficult to control epilepsy.
Clipping
from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=P12894262&dopt=Abstract
Arq Neuropsiquiatr. 2003 Jun;61(2B):330-4. Epub 2003
Jul 28. Related Articles, Links
Is the prevalence of celiac disease increased among
epileptic patients?
Pratesi R, Gandolfi L, Martins RC, Tauil PL, Nobrega
YK, Teixeira WA.
Medicina da Crianca e do Adolescente e Medicina
Social, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Brasilia, Brasilia, DF, Brasil.
OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of celiac
disease (CD) among a group of epileptic patients attending the Epilepsy Clinics
of two general hospitals in the city of Brasilia (DF), Brazil. METHOD: Serum
samples were collected from 255 epileptic patients (119 children, 136 adults)
originating from Epilepsy Clinics, and from a control group composed by 4405
individuals (2034 children, 2371 adults) attending the Laboratory of Clinical
Analysis, for routine blood testing. The diagnosis of CD was determined by the
antiendomysium antibody (IgA-EMA) test and by small intestine biopsy. RESULTS:
two of the 255 epileptic patients (1:127) and fifteen subjects from the control
group (1:293) tested positive for the IgA-EMA assay. CONCLUSION: the
prevalence of CD was 2.3 times higher in epileptic patients than in controls (7.84
per 1000 versus 3.41 per 1000). Although still not statistically significant,
this result is highly suggestive of an increased prevalence of CD among
epileptic patients.
[Note:
Stool tests should show a much higher prevalence for gluten intolerance! – HGK]
Clipping
from
http://www.remedyfind.com/rem.asp?ID=4175
Home > Epilepsy > Diet:
Ketogenic Diet
The Ketogenic Diet is used in
children who do not respond to standard therapy or cannot tolerate the side
effects produced by antepileptic drugs. The Ketogenic Diet is a high-fat (80
percent), low-carbohydrate diet that fundamentally changes the body’s metabolism
from using glucose as a primary energy source to using fats. Ketones are a type
of lipid, or fat, that provides energy for skeletal muscle, the heart, kidneys,
and the brain.
...
Doctors don't know precisely why
a diet that mimics starvation by burning fat for energy should prevent
seizures. Typically,
about a third of children who try the Ketogenic Diet become seizure-free, or
almost seizure free. Another third improve but still have some seizures. The rest
either do not respond at all or find it too hard to continue with the diet,
either because of side effects or because they can't tolerate the food.
A
collection of abstracts mostly dealing with the association between celiac
disease and epilepsy: http://www.panix.com/~donwiss/gflinks/epcel.txt
TI- Bilateral occipital calcification,
epilepsy and coeliac disease:
clinical and neuroimaging features of a new syndrome.
AU- Magaudda A; Dalla Bernardina
B; De Marco P; Sfaello Z; Longo M;
Colamaria V; Daniele O; Tortorella G; Tata MA; Di Perri R; et
al
CS- Institute of Neurological and
Neurosurgical Sciences, University of
Messina, Italy.
JN- J Neurol Neurosurg
Psychiatry; 56 (8) p885-9
CP- ENGLAND
PY- Aug 1993
AB- Twenty patients affected by
bilateral occipital cortical-subcortical calcification (BOC) are described, 19 (95%) had epilepsy. In 8
of 16 cases studied, intestinal
biopsy revealed coeliac disease. Fourteen patients had occipital partial
epilepsy with a relatively benign outcome, while 4 patients were affected by a
severe form of epilepsy, with very frequent, drug-resistant, generalised and
partial seizures with mental deterioration. One patient had a single episode of
convulsive status epilepticus at four months of age. The neurological examination was normal in all patients. CT
showed flocculo-nodular, cortico-subcortical BOC, without enhancement and
without lobar or
hemispheric atrophy. MRI was
normal. The clinical and neuroimaging features of these patients are different
therefore from those with the Sturge-Weber Syndrome. The study confirms a high
prevalence of coliac disease in patients with BOC, but the relationship
between these two pathologies still needs to be clarified.
Coeliac disease and autoimmune Addison's
disease: a clinical ...