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Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Strep (PANDAS)* A subtype of OCD
Brief description
For approximately 25% of children who have OCD, the sudden onset of
the OCD is exacerbated or trigged by strep throat, in which the body's
own immune cells attack a part of the brain, the basal ganglia, rather
than the strep. This does not occur in all children, but only those
who have a genetic predisposition to OCD or tics. The difficulty in
diagnosing may occur because the OCD can develop shortly after the strep
infection but many times months after, and the strep infection could
have been so minor that it was not treated. It is most common in children
who have not yet reached puberty, though it is not limited to this age
group.
Red flags
The biggest difference between regular OCD and PANDAS OCD is the sudden
onset. OCD usually develops slowly over weeks, months or even years;
however, PANDAS OCD seems to come out of the blue with parents saying
one day their child woke up a different kid. There are also other symptoms
that help differentiate the 2 types of OCD. PANDAS OCD is also characterized
by:
