OLIGOANTIGEN1C DIET TREATMENT I N CHILDREN WITH EPILEPSY AND MIGRAINE

Of 53 children with epilepsy , selected largely because of associated symptoms and treated with an oligoantigenic diet, 29 ceased fitting completely and another 7 had fewer attacks. Double blind placebo controlled reintroduction of a provoking food in 16 provoked symptoms in 15, which included fits in 8. Patients with most types of fits benefitted, including 14 of 17 with generalised epilepsy, 18 of 21 with partial epilepsy, and all 11 with petit mal. None of the 6 with infantile spasms responded, but 4 patients with minor motor epilepsy did. Because of the selection method, most of the patients had headaches, behaviour disorder and/or abdominal symptoms; all responders had one or more of these. 43 foods caused symptoms and 38 provoked fits; most children reacted to several.