PANDAS: MANIFESTATION IN A 3-YEAR-OLD FEMALE

Abstract

The overall consensus by medical professionals suggests that approximately 1 in 200 children under the age of 18 experience some type of Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS). Typically associated with a strep infection (PANDAS), children begin to experience sudden urges that they cannot control and must perform specific actions. The children also experience severe aggression, the inability to socialize with other children their age, and the incapability to engage in activities that were previously part of their normal everyday routine. At the Banner Children’s Postinfectious Autoimmune Encephalopathy (CPAE) Center, physicians and other professionals come together to treat children with an interdisciplinary approach. While the treatment for PANDAS has not been perfected, the CPAE Clinic team are working to positively increase the outcomes of these children by implementing both biological and behavioral (non-medical), therapeutic treatments that focus on the behavioral implications associated with PANDAS. A case study focusing on a pediatric patient at the clinic that underwent assessment and treatment for PANDAS will be presented, which will showcase the characteristic onset and trajectory of the condition.