PANDAS and Lyme may have more in common than you’d think! PANDAS, or Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Strep is marked by a sudden onset of symptoms like obsessive-compulsive behaviors, tics, personality changes following a strep infection. As I was doing some research on the condition, I was struck by the similarities to Lyme disease. Both conditions highlight the body’s complex response to infections and the potential for the immune system, in its attempt to combat

PANDAS is a clinical diagnosis in children characterized by the onset of neuropsychiatric symptoms (specifically OCD or tics) following a recent streptococcal infection, such as strep throat or scarlet fever. “As noted by Dr. Sue Swedo at the NIH in the late 1990’s, PANDAS involves antibodies from a streptococcal infection reacting with brain tissue (specifically the basal ganglia), triggering movement and behavioral problems. Rheumatic Fever is an older known disorder that illustrates this same