Do Surgeries or Medications Help Kids with PANDAS OCD? Here's What the Research Shows

Dr. Kumar’s Take:

This systematic review looked at whether medical treatments like antibiotics, IVIG, and steroids—or surgical options like tonsil and adenoid removal—help improve OCD symptoms in kids with PANDAS or PANS.

While both surgery and medication showed benefits, one treament didn’t stand out over the others. This highlights the urgent need for larger, high-quality studies with clear protocols. Until then, treatments should be individualized and often involve a combination of approaches.

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IVIG for PANDAS: Can Immunotherapy Help Kids with Sudden OCD?

Dr. Kumar’s Take:

This was the largest randomized controlled trial to date testing intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) for children with PANDAS and moderate to severe OCD. During the double-blind phase, IVIG showed better results compared to placebo, though this difference was not statistically significant. But after the study, pateints who had received the placebo were then given IVIG and saw a 50% improvement at 12 weeks and 62% improvement at 24 weeks. The study was safe, well-designed, and gives us another tool in our fight against PANDAS.

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