Common Causes And Complications Of OCD

Other Pathogens (PANS)

In addition to the link between autoimmune responses and the onset of obsessive-compulsive disorder, researchers have also noted a phenomenon they refer to as pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome (PANS). As a syndrome, it's a clinical disorder that describes a collection of symptoms with no known root cause. The disorder occurs when children suddenly develop OCD symptoms or restrictions in their eating habits, including deterioration in their behavior in a minimum of two of the eight main areas of their lives. The trigger for PANS isn't always known, but researchers believe it is brought on by one or multiple pathogens. PANDAS is a type of PANS, but for a child to be diagnosed with PANDAS, the pathogen must have been a strep infection. In theory, any pathogen has the potential to cause some type of PANS. Researchers believe there's evidence for PANS developing as a result of pneumonia, varicella, influenza, and Lyme disease. Lyme disease is also theorized to cause other psychiatric symptoms.

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