Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated With Streptococcal Infections

Pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorder associated with streptococcal infections (PANDAS) is a putative neuropsychiatric disorder with a hypothesized autoimmune etiology, characterized by the acute onset of severe obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) or tic disorders. The theory of postinfectious autoimmunity as a pathogenic mechanism in OCD originated in the 1990s and has important implications for the clinical course and treatment of the disorder. This entry describes the PANDAS patient population as a unique subset of OCD and tic disorder patients, delineates the disorder’s diagnostic criteria, and reviews relevant research on the autoimmune etiopathogenesis of PANDAS.

Research on PANDAS

In 1998, researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) described a novel cohort of pediatric patients with OCD, tic disorders, or both, who presented with clinical correlates distinct from the ...

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