PANDAS: An Autoimmune Disease Leading to Mental Health Complications, OCD

Each year, millions of women are diagnosed with complications associated with an autoimmune disease. For most, the complications are attributed to lupus, fibromyalgia and even chronic fatigue syndrome. For some women, however, the autoimmune complication may be associated with a rare condition known as PANDAS, pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorder, leading to significant mental health complications such as development of OCD.

PANDAS, commonly linked to a disorder of children, can, at times, be diagnosed later in life after a woman reaches early adulthood. Oddly enough, research has shown the condition is usually first diagnosed after a young woman contracts a strep based infection which, for reasons unknown, exacerbates the PANDAS condition and sets the autoimmune disease, and associated mental health complications, into high drive.

Diagnosing PANDAS can not be achieved through any type of laboratory test except to confirm the existence of a prior strep infection. Once the autoimmune disease is set into motion, a plethora of mental health complications will often be set into motion leading to many years of psychotherapy and medication management of this rare autoimmune disease.

Because PANDAS leads to an autoimmune response that develops mental health complications, there is no one specific treatment that is effective in all women who suffer from this condition. For some women, the symptoms associated with the PANDAS complication can be alleviated through the physical removal of specific antigens and antibodies created by the autoimmune disease; referred to as plasmapheresis. In addition, some women will opt for the IV administration of immunoglobulin. However, these physical interventions may not always alleviate the mental health complications that result from PANDAS.