The illness can cause a range of sudden symptoms – including OCD, anxiety, hallucinations and intrusive thoughts
A doctor has warned of a little-known condition that can suddenly ‘attack the brain’ in young people. He claims it is still relatively new and not very well understood.
Dr Asif Ahmed, a British GP, shared how this “worrying” condition can cause people to have a range of “sudden” symptoms that should not be dismissed. He said people might rapidly develop obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), anxiety, depression, irritability, hallucinations and intrusive thoughts.
The doctor says the condition is split into two, known as PANS and PANDAS. Whilst they’re related medical terms, they’re not identical conditions. Stanford Medicine was among the first academic institution to start a multidisciplinary PANS service, there is more information about PANS and PANDAS on its website.
He said: “It’s important to know that PANS and PANDAS are not the same things.” PANS stands for Pediatric Acute Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome, while PANDAS is a subset of PANS associated with streptococcal infections. For reasons researchers are still exploring, it causes the body’s immune system to attack the brain.
In a recent Instagram video, Dr Asif Ahmed explained: “This can cause inflammation and lots of symptoms very suddenly. One of the main symptoms is sudden onset OCD – normally within 24 to 48 hours – but this is not the only symptom.”
The GP added that, for around one in four cases, there would be “some form of psychosis or hallucinations” involved. Dr Ahmed listed other possible red flags as anxiety, bedwetting, sudden changes in school performance (such as reduced concentration, hyperactivity or poor memory), behavioural problems (such as sudden onset of tantrums) and other sensoryor motor problems (increased sensitivity to light, weakness in arms and legs). Symptoms may include:
- Sudden onset of OCD or severe food restriction.
- At least two additional neuropsychiatric symptoms.
- Motor or vocal tics.
- Anxiety attacks.
- Separation anxiety.
- Speech disfluency, such as stuttering.
- Emotional lability, such as uncontrollable crying or laughing.
He added: “These symptoms can come and go, and there can be flare-ups in between periods of being ‘normal’. PANS and PANDAS can affect adults too, and because of the lack of awareness and it being relatively new, children and sometimes adults can unknowingly live with it for many years.
PANS is often misdiagnosed or not diagnosed at all. Dr Ahmed said it may not be as simple as getting checked by a doctor as he claimed “there’s no specific test we can use to diagnose it”. He added that any diagnosis is often based “purely on the patient’s history”.
He said: “As you can imagine, it is quite a worrying condition if anyone is living through it without a diagnosis. That’s why it’s important if you [or your child] have any symptoms to please go and get help from a doctor.” Possible causes for PANS and PANDAS have been linked to infections, metabolic disturbances, and inflammatory reactions.
PANS and PANDAS can be cured, but multiple forms may be required to tackle the issue. Treatment is varied and often includes a combination of antibiotics, immunomodulatory therapies, and behavioural and cognitive therapies. Treatment Antibiotics are used to treat infections; immunomodulatory therapies are used to reduce inflammation; behavioural and cognitive therapies are used to manage symptoms; and psychotropic drugs are used for neuropsychiatric symptoms.
PANS PANDAS UK offers support and advice. Its website has many useful resources for helping families work towards a diagnosis and manage the condition.