WHAT IS PANDAS?

9th October is PANDAS Awareness Day!

PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections) occurs when strep triggers a misdirected immune response result in inflammation on a child’s brain. In turn, the child quickly begins to exhibit life changing symptoms such as OCD, anxiety, tics, personality changes, decline in math and handwriting abilities, sensory sensitivities, restrictive eating, and more. Also referred to as PANS.

What is PANS/PANDAS?

PANS is a clinical diagnosis given to children who have a dramatic – almost overnight – onset of neuropsychiatric symptoms including Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and/or eating disorder. Children may become moody, irritable and anxious and have difficulty with schoolwork.

The cause of PANS is unknown in most cases but is thought to be triggered by infections, metabolic disturbances, and other inflammatory reactions. Like PANS, children with PANDAS have an acute onset – within 2 to 3 days – of neuropsychiatric symptoms, specifically OCD and/or tics (involuntary, purposeless movements). However, PANDAS patients test positive for a known trigger, such as strep throat, perianal strep or scarlet fever. Like PANS patients, they also suffer from uncontrollable emotions, irritability, anxiety and poor academic performance and deterioration in handwriting skills. To date, PANDAS is the only known subset of PANS.

More information: https://www.pandasppn.org/

PANDAS/PANS SYMPTOMS:

PANDAS/PANS children may become uncharacteristically and intensely bothered by smells, tastes, sounds and textures, causing difficulties with daily routines, such as brushing teeth, riding in a car, eating, and dressing.
PANDAS/PANS children may develop polyuria (up to many times per hour), frequent urge to urinate, and/or day and night secondary enuresis. These urinate symptoms are not due UTI, anxiety or OCD type worries.
Anxiety frequently presents as constant, generalized anxiety or age inappropriate separation anxiety. The child may develop panic attacks, with feelings of terror or dread, and physical symptoms, such as dilated pupils, racing heart, and dry mouth.
Many compulsions are either mental rituals (and therefore difficult to observe) or appear as extremes of acceptable behavior (e.g., compulsive hand washing). Common OCD rituals include: washing/ grooming, checking (locks, doors); counting, ordering/symmetry; hoarding; restrictive eating; repetitive questioning.
PANS children may exhibit motor and vocal tics, handwriting changes and/or clumsiness.
Depression, mania, irritability, emotional liability. Moods can change from happy to sad to angry in the moment. The reactive range may start instantaneously and stop as quickly, leaving the child confused.
PANS children may display regressed behaviors, such as: baby talk; refusal to carry out age appropriate grooming activities; tantrums; clinginess; separation anxiety.
Children may also experience decreased processing speed, memory issues, and/or difficulty in math and calculation.