ObjectiveTo investigate the current situation of ketogenic diet treatment centers in China, including the target, quantity, indication diseases, staffing and regional distribution of ketogenic diet therapy centers.MethodsMembers from the China Association Against Epilepsy (CAAE) received an investigation on the development situation of ketogenic diet therapy in their own epilepsy centers through an online survey. ResultsAt present, there are 91 centers for ketogenic diet therapy in China, and among them, there are 74 centers (81.32%) only treat pediatric patients. 59 centers of them (64.83%) were established between 2010 and 2020; patients of 63 centers (69.23%) have been treated with ketogenic therapy for status epilepticus (SE), among which only 9 centers (14.29%) have 5 or more epileptic patients on averge per month. 35 centers (38.46%) are offering ketogenic diet treatment for indications other than epilepsy. The main diseases are autism spectrum disorder, encephalitis, febrile infection related epilepsy syndrome (FIRES), rare diseases and glycolipid metabolic diseases. All ketogenic diet treatment centers are equipped with high-quality professionals, mainly neurologists and pediatric physicians; There are significant differences in regional distribution, with centers in the eastern region accounting for more than half (53.85%). ConclusionsThe development of ketogenic diet therapy in China has achieved initial results, but there are still some problems such as small number of patients treated and uneven geographical distribution.
Objective To investigate the effectiveness of a healthcare consortium combined with an internet-based medical model in the management of epilepsy centers in ethnic minority regions, and to provide guidance for the standardized management of epilepsy in these areas. Methods This was a prospective cohort study. A total of 300 epilepsy patients admitted to the Epilepsy Center of Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture from January to December 2025 were selected and divided into an observation group (150 patients) and a control group (150 patients) based on whether they were included in the medical consortium plus internet-based healthcare management model. The observation group was managed using the integrated medical consortium and internet-based healthcare model, while the control group received traditional management. We compared baseline data comparability, clinical efficiency indicators (waiting time for consultation, length of hospital stay, follow-up compliance rate), efficacy indicators (seizure frequency, overall response rate), safety indicators (complication incidence rate), cognitive function (MMSE score), and quality of life (QOLIE-31 score) between the two groups. Results There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of age, gender, ethnic composition, disease duration, seizure type, baseline seizure frequency, or baseline MMSE scores (P>0.05), indicating comparability. After 6 months of intervention, the monthly seizure frequency in the observation group decreased from the baseline (6.51±1.02) to (2.34±0.89), while that in the control group decreased from (6.48±0.98) to (4.12±1.15); the difference between the groups was statistically significant (P<0.05); The overall response rate was 92.00% (138/150) in the observation group and 76.00% (114/150) in the control group, with a statistically significant difference (χ2=14.286, P=0.001). The mean waiting time for outpatient visits in the observation group was (3.12±1.05) days, which was shorter than that of the control group (7.24±2.15) days (t=11.365, P<0.001); The average length of hospital stay was (7.24±2.18) days, shorter than that of the control group (10.56±3.24) days (t=5.892, P<0.001). The outpatient follow-up compliance rate in the observation group was 90.00% (135/150), higher than the 68.00% (102/150) in the control group (χ2=8.362, P=0.004). The improvement in MMSE scores in the observation group was (9.74±3.45) points, which was superior to that of the control group (5.74±2.89) points (t=7.234, P<0.001); The improvement in QOLIE-31 total scores was (18.45±6.23) points and (11.24±5.67) points, respectively, with a statistically significant difference (t=6.891, P<0.001). Patient satisfaction in the observation group was 94.00% (141/150), higher than the 80.00% (120/150) in the control group (χ2=4.332, P=0.037). Conclusion The integrated medical consortium and internet-based healthcare model can optimize the diagnosis and treatment process for epilepsy patients in ethnic minority regions, reduce seizure frequency, improve cognitive function and quality of life, and enhance the level of regional medical services.