Serial correlation between saliva and blood beta-hydroxybutyrate levels in children commencing the ketogenic diet for epilepsy

Abstract

Objectives: Accurate and user-friendly methods to measure beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) concentration are needed to guide the optimal use of ketogenic diet therapy (KDT). We aimed to determine the correlation between serum, capillary, and salivary BHB concentration, and to validate an electrochemical salivary BHB point-of-care test (POCT) in children commencing KDT for drug-resistant epilepsy. Methods: This was a single center, prospective cohort study. Children <18 years with drug-resistant epilepsy electively admitted to Shenzhen Children's Hospital to initiate KDT between January 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021, were included. Over the 7-day admission, we collected paired saliva and capillary bloo..