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Your child may need to see a rheumatologist or an immunologist, or someone who specializes in strep infections. Not all doctors have experience diagnosing PANDAS. Your child’s doctor may order blood tests or brain scans to see if a different infection or something else entirely is causing the symptoms. The symptoms are similar, but they may be triggered by something other than strep. PANDAS is part of a larger group of autoimmune diseases that affect the brain called pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome (PANS). But their symptoms could still be part of an immune system response gone wrong. If your child doesn’t or didn't have strep, they don’t have PANDAS. A blood test can show whether your child had a recent strep infection even if they recovered. Bed-wetting, peeing more often during the daytime, or bothĪ test for the strep bacteria or a history of the bacteria is necessary to confirm your child has PANDAS, which can mimic other disorders. If it doesn’t show up after a throat swab or antibody test, the doctor should check other places strep tends to hide, like the sinuses or your child’s bottom and genitals.Sensory problems, including being very sensitive to light and possibly seeing or hearing things that aren’t there.Moodiness, irritability, and crying or laughing at inappropriate times.Behavior they’d grown out of, like temper tantrums or baby talk.Anxiety attacks or fear of being away from parents or other caregivers.Symptoms of ADHD, such as hyperactivity, fidgeting, and trouble paying attention.If your child already has OCD or tics, PANDAS will suddenly make their condition much worse. They may grunt, clear their throat constantly, or repeat words. Tics are sudden movements or sounds your child repeats over and over and can’t control. OCD causes thoughts they can’t put out of their mind, or an urge to repeat certain actions over and over. The changes to their personality and behavior are quick and dramatic they start abruptly and closely after a strep throat infection. What are the symptoms?Ĭhildren with PANDAS suddenly show signs of obsessive-compulsive disorder ( OCD,) tics, or both. When the immune system eventually finds and fights them, it sometimes also fights the cells that the strep is imitating. The strep bacteria disguise themselves to look like normal cells. That’s when an infection causes your immune system to attack your body’s healthy cells, in this case, cells in the brain. What causes it?ĭoctors aren’t sure why some children get PANDAS, but it appears to be an autoimmune disorder.
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It can be scary, but once your child is diagnosed with PANDAS and starts treatment, it’s likely they’ll make a full recovery. With PANDAS, your child may seem to turn into a different person overnight, becoming moody, anxious, aggressive, obsessive compulsive behaviors, and dealing with body movements they can’t control. But for a small number of children, the infection triggers strange behavior changes known as PANDAS syndrome: Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal infections. Strep throat is a common childhood illness. Some kids get it again and again, and a simple round of antibiotics usually clears it up.