At St Nicholas Children’s Hospital of the First Medical Association of Lviv, doctors managed to completely stop severe epileptic seizures in a girl from Stryi. The seizures had been occurring since birth and did not respond to medication, but subsided after a medical ketogenic diet was prescribed.
Daryna was born prematurely, at 28 weeks of pregnancy. Shortly after birth she developed infantile spasms — a severe form of epilepsy. Seizures occurred every day, especially as she was falling asleep. Doctors consistently tried different treatment regimens: first anticonvulsant medicines, then hormone therapy, but this did not bring a lasting effect.
When the options for drug treatment were exhausted, the hospital’s keto team suggested a classic ketogenic diet. This is a special medical protocol in which fats, rather than carbohydrates, become the main source of energy for the brain, helping to reduce excessive excitation of the nervous system.
The diet was started on 19 August 2025. Since then, the family has followed a strict regime: the mother checks the level of ketones in the urine and glucose in the blood every day, carefully weighs every gram of food, and doctors and a dietitian continuously supervise the treatment and adjust the diet. The first stable results appeared after about four months — in December the seizures stopped completely.
According to her mother Viktoriia, after the seizures disappeared her daughter became more active, developed new responses and skills, including a grasp reflex. For more than six months now, Daryna has been living without epileptic seizures and continues to be monitored by specialists.
Paediatric neurologist Olena Lisova notes that against the background of the ketogenic diet, not only has the girl’s seizure condition improved, but her overall development as well: she has become more aware, is trying to communicate, and new motor skills are emerging.
The hospital emphasises that this case is an important confirmation of the effectiveness of a professionally tailored ketogenic diet combined with the perseverance of parents. The institution’s keto team is currently supporting 32 children, and most of them are showing positive progress.
At the First Medical Association of Lviv, a full range of modern medical care is provided — from diagnostics and treatment to complex surgical interventions, rehabilitation and prosthetics. The association includes St Panteleimon Hospital, St Luke’s Hospital, St Nicholas Hospital, St Anne’s Hospital, the UNBROKEN rehabilitation centre and outpatient clinics.