PANDAS Triggered by Strep and Rapid Recovery with Antibiotics
Dr. Kumar’s Take on PANDAS
This study shows that PANDAS can appear suddenly in children after a mild group A strep infection and that treating the infection quickly often leads to rapid symptom relief. The real opportunity is early recognition: a child with abrupt OCD, separation anxiety, tics, or behavioral shifts should trigger evaluation for PANDAS with throat testing and prompt antibiotic therapy.
Key Takeaways
✔ PANDAS episodes were prospectively linked to recent group A streptococcal infections in a primary care setting.
✔ Antibiotics at the first PANDAS flare led to symptom improvement usually within two weeks.
✔ Recurrences of PANDAS aligned with new strep infections and again responded to antibiotics.
✔ More prior strep exposures before onset predicted a relapsing PANDAS course.
✔ Strep triggers were often clinically mild, so PANDAS can be missed without active suspicion.