Fasting and neurologic diseases

Fasting in holy month of Ramadan is an important obligation of Muslims and increases their physical and mental health. Fasting has no negative effect on incidence and course of most of neurological diseases, but results are controversial regarding few disorders. This systematic review aimed to investigate neurologic diseases, their etiology and the way to prevent them in Ramadan. In this systematic review, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Google scholar, Magiran, IranMedex and SID databases were searched by relevant keywords for time interval of 2000-2014. Based on results, fasting has no effect on hemorrhagic and arterial ischemic strokes. The incidence of cerebral venous thrombosis increases in Ramadan with the main etiology of taking oral contraceptive pills(OCPs). Fasting has no adverse effect and probably improve the quality of life in mildly disabled multiple sclerosis patients. But it is not recommended in patients with severe disability. The effect of fasting on seizure and headache has controversial results. Incorrect medication use by patients, taking OCPs and absence of appropriate medical advices are the most common underlying factors of increased incidence of neurologic diseases during fasting. Therefore, rise of public awareness and reasonable medical advices could be helpful in prevention of neurologic diseases during fasting.