Guest guest Posted April 6, 2004 Report Share Posted April 6, 2004 My daughter does not have PANDAS but she did have strep throat every six weeks for several months until we had her tonsils out between kindergarten and first grade. She has not had strep throat since. If your son is getting strep throat frequently, having his tonsils out would probably help. I don't know if it would help with the OCD since the strep that causes PANDAS can be anywhere in the body. Does he get strep throat a lot? Or is this just the doctor's idea to help with the PANDAS? Hannah didn't meet surgery criteria until she had had strep throat seven times in one year. Another justifiable reason to take the tonsils out is that they are permanently inflamed. I think Hannah was on her sixth infection when the doctor decided that her tonsils would never shrink down. She never ever had tonsillitis. When we took her in for her pre-op check, they were pretty sure that she was coming down with strep again. I was so glad to get those puppies out! Kelley in NV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 6, 2004 Report Share Posted April 6, 2004 I don't believe he qualifies for a tonsillectomy, based on the pediatricians opinion or advice. I know they don't usually recommend surgery unless there have been 6 or more strep infections in a year. I can't remember exactly, but I believe he had strep 5 times last year. 5 times that was diagnosed. There are possibly times we are unaware of. He was just diagnosed with PANDAS after the last diagnosis of strep. With him, his OCD is very mild, until he gets strep. Then, due to PANDAS, he has these intense episodes that are absolutely unbearable. I think the doctor, meaning psychologist, thought that by having a tonsillectomy, it would reduce his OCD/PANDAS episodes. I don't know if I'm making any sense??? Sometimes it's hard to explain everything without having these terribly long messages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 7, 2004 Report Share Posted April 7, 2004 Please research this long and hard before you make a decision. My son has PANDAS. Since his first strep infection 10 months ago, he had been experiencing OCD symptoms that were so mild, we did not even recognize them as such. In January of this year, he had his tonsils removed. Six weeks later (3 weeks ago) he had a sudden severe onsent of OCD. We have been lucky enough to get him help from one of the top experts in the country on PANDAS. They have also involvved him in a study. Our Dr. told us that they are finding that PANDAS kids will often have a sever sudden worsening of their OCD about 6 weeks after a tonsilectomy. OF course, we had not idea of this since we didn't even know he had PANDAS. Good luck with your decision. Tracey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 8, 2004 Report Share Posted April 8, 2004 My son had his tonsils removed when he was 20 months old because of recurrent tonsillitis. He was diagnosed with OCD just last October at the age of 10 after his sister had strep throat. I was told then that he could still be affected by the virus even if he didn't actually have strep throat. I don't remember him having strep throat EVER, but then I have 4 kids and may be confused. > This was the only thing I could find on the subject besides, like us, > wondering if it might help. > > > ****************** > Dated: Sept 2001 > > Pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders and streptococcal > infections: role of otolaryngologist. > > Orvidas LJ, Slattery MJ. > > Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota > 55905, USA. > > OBJECTIVE: To increase awareness and understanding of the putative > role of streptococcal infection in the development of > neuropsychiatric disorders in children and to discuss therapeutic > options in this group of patients. METHODS: Case illustration and > literature review. RESULTS: Two siblings, one with obsessive- > compulsive disorder (OCD) and one with a tic disorder, had > tonsillectomy for recurrent streptococcal pharyngitis. At the latest > follow-up visit (11 mo postoperatively), both patients exhibited > significant improvement in their psychiatric illnesses. We discuss > these cases as well as the diagnosis, pathophysiology, and treatment > of pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with > streptococcal infections (PANDAS). CONCLUSION: PANDAS is an active > area of research investigating the relationship between streptococcal > infections and the development of obsessive-compulsive disorder or > tic disorders (or both) in children. The etiopathogenesis of PANDAS > is thought to reflect autoimmune mechanisms and involvement of the > basal ganglia of susceptible hosts. Because otolaryngologists > evaluate a large portion of pediatric patients with recurrent > streptococcal pharyngitis, it is important to be aware of this > association and to manage these patients appropriately. > > Publication Types: > Case Reports > > PMID: 11568599 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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