PANDAS is an acronym for pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections. It describes children who develop the sudden worsening of tics, obsessive/compulsive type behavior, or irritability following a strep infection, such as scarlet fever or strep throat.
PANDAS doesn't cause tics or OCD, though; these children already have an underlying obsessive-compulsive disorder and/or a tic disorder, such as Tourette's syndrome. Their symptoms simply get worse all of a sudden when they get strep for some unknown reason.
Although there is no test for PANDAS, it can help to confirm that a child had a strep infection when his OCD symptoms or tics were worse by ordering an anti-streptococcal antibody titer. This includes an ASO or AntiDNAse-B test, both of which can confirm that your child recently had a strep infection. A rapid strep test or throat culture can help diagnose a current strep infection.
If you think that your child might have PANDAS, a child psychiatrist and/or a child neurologist might be helpful to evaluate and treat your child.
