Diagnosing PANS
February 24, 2016 · Posted in Diagnosis
Pediatric Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome, or PANS, describes a condition in which a child develops acute onset of psychiatric symptoms following an infection. At the 2015 meeting of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, researcher Tanya K. Murphy reported on symptoms that differentiate PANS from other childhood-onset illnesses. Kids with PANS are more likely to have:
- sudden onset of symptoms
- earlier age of onset
- personality changes
- new onset of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms
- food refusal and weight loss
- behavioral regression
- deterioration in handwriting
- severe sleep disruption
- psychosis
- memory problems
- frequent urination
- dilated pupils
- an infection at the time of onset, particularly a group A streptococcal infection
A child with sudden onset of these symptoms following an infection may have PANS. It is important to differentiate PANS from traditional psychiatric diagnoses because treatment of PANS often consists of antibiotics, anti-inflammatory medications, and other treatments that target the immune system. See our case report about a boy with PANS.
