PANDAS/PANS/AE

Autoimmune Encephalitis (AE) is a broad term for a misdirected immune response in the body where the immune system essentially attacks and inflames the brain (specifically the basal ganglia) when triggered. 

 

PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections) and PANS (Pediatric Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome) are specific forms of encephalitis under this umbrella term.

 

While both conditions are characterized by a sudden and dramatic onset during childhood (most commonly between the ages of 4-13), strep infections specifically trigger PANDAS. PANS, on the other hand, may be triggered by bacterial, viral, or environmental factors.

 

Children with PANS/PANDAS may present with a myriad of neuropsychiatric symptoms with varying degrees of severity including, but not limited to, obsessive compulsive disorder, restrictive eating, tics, anxiety, notable emotional dysregulation, developmental / behavioral regression, severe separation anxiety from a person or a place, deterioration in school performance and the inability to focus. Additional symptoms include frequent urination, bedwetting, dilated pupils and choreiform movements. While symptoms differ from child to child, and even from flare to flare within an individual, it is not unusual for waves of these symptoms to worsen and improve as time passes. This episodic nature is typical of autoimmune disease. If undiagnosed and/or untreated, symptoms may persist into adulthood.