PANS & PANDAS Disorder

PANS and PANDAS are infection-induced autoimmune conditions that disrupt a patient’s normal neurologic functioning, resulting in a sudden onset of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and/or motor tics. PANS and PANDAS can include a variety of other symptoms such as anorexia (food restrictions), anxiety, irritability, hyperactivity, sleep disturbances, mood swings and urinary problems.

PANS is an acronym for Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome, which is associated with a variety of different infections, whereas PANDAS is a disorder associated with only streptococcal infections—specifically group A strep. Although the etiology for PANS is different from PANDAS the symptom presentation is nearly identical. READ MORE ABOUT PANS

​PANDAS is an acronym for Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated withStreptococcal infection. It is an autoimmune condition initially triggered by strep infections, which disrupts a child’s normal neurologic activity. READ MORE ABOUT PANDAS

Information provided on this page courtesy of http://www.moleculeralabs.com.

PANS and PANDAS - Infection-induced autoimmune disorders

The connection between autoimmune dysfunction and psychiatric illnesses has been investigated for many years. Recently, studies have shown that in some cases, there may be a biological basis for certain neuropsychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia and chronic depression. Other studies have found that infection-triggered autoimmune disorders may be the root cause of numerous neuropsychiatric symptoms.

​Researchers believe a number of children and youth who have been diagnosed with a neuropsychiatric illness may actually suffer from an infection-induced autoimmune disorder, which triggers neurologic and psychiatric symptoms, such as OCD, tics, eating disorders and ADHD.

The Cunningham PanelTM, developed and offered exclusively through Moleculera Labs, is the first test of its kind in the world. The Panel is one, out of several to be introduced, which assists physicians in determining the likelihood that a patient’s neuropsychiatric symptoms are due to an infection-triggered autoimmune response, rather than a primary psychiatric disorder.

Children with PANS and PANDAS are often Misdiagnosed
All too often, children with PANS and PANDAS are misdiagnosed as having a psychiatric illness and may be treated solely with psychotropic drugs to manage their symptoms. Unfortunately, for PANS and PANDAS patients this does not address the root cause of the symptoms, which is an infection-triggered autoimmune condition. Studies have shown that when given appropriate anti-infective and/or immunological treatment, PANS and PANDAS patients experience symptom resolution, or their symptoms are dramatically reduced. Obtaining a correct diagnosis can be challenging, because PANS and PANDAS symptoms can mimic other illnesses.

​“We can’t say how many kids with psychiatric symptoms have an underlying immune or inflammatory component to their disorder,” says Dr. Kiki Chang, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University Medical Center. “But given the burgeoning research indicating that inflammation drives mood disorders and other psychiatric problems, it’s likely to be a large subset of children and even adults diagnosed with psychiatric illnesses.” (Source: Brain Attack, Stanford Medicine, Fall 2014).
​