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Abstract
Recent studies have shown that nutrition is one of the factors affecting intractability of epilepsy in particular, deficiency of omega-3 fatty acids might be an important factor. The aim of this study was to evaluate the serum levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in children with intractable idiopathic epilepsy before and after six months of oral PUFAs supplementation (300mg EPA + 700mg DHA/day) to compare these levels with those in heathy age and sex matched controls, as well as to assess seizure response to this oral supplementation.Our study was conducted on 20 children diagnosed as idiopathic intractable epilepsy (Commission on Classification and Terminology of ILAE, 1989). They were 12 males, and 8 females with mean age of 9.2±4.35 yrs attending the specialized neurology clinic, Ain Shams University. Eight children suffered localization related epilepsy and twelve children with generalized epilepsy syndromes. Twenty apparently healthy, age and sex matched children were enrolled as controls.Prior to oral PUFAs supplementation, the serum level of DHA (w3), w3/w6 ratio were significantly lower and the serum level of LA (w6) was significantly higher in patients with intractable epilepsy compared to the controls. Serum AA (w6) level was not significantly lower in epileptic patients compared to controls.After omega-3 PUFAs supplementation there was a statistical significant increase in the serum levels of ALA (w3), DHA (w3), EPA (w3) and w3/w6 ratio and a non significant increase in the level of DPA (w3), also there was a statistical significant decrease in the levels of LA (w6) and AA (w6) in patients compared to controls. When we compared the levels of PUFAs in the patients’ sera after 6 months of oral supplementation to their levels prior to oral supplementation, we found a significant and high significant statistical increase mean serum levels of all w3 fatty acids ALA, DPA, EPA, DHA, and w3/w6 ratio, also we found a high statistical decrease in the mean serum levels of LA (w6) and AA (w6).The changes in the polyunsaturated fatty acid levels were accompanied by a high statistical significant decrease in seizure frequency, seizure duration as well as Chalfont seizures severity scale.