Frequency and impact of paediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome/paediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections diagnosis in Canada
Rachel Goren, Ari Bitnun, Asif Doja, Peter J Gill, Ronald M Laxer, Deborah M Levy, Tamara Pringsheim, Paul Sandor, Eluen Ann Yeh, Colin Wilbur, Sefi Kronenberg, Michelle Shouldice, Frequency and impact of paediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome/paediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections diagnosis in Canada, Paediatrics & Child Health, 2024;, pxae092, https://doi.org/10.1093/pch/pxae092
In a Canadian study, a significant percentage of children diagnosed with PANDAS/PANS had OCD and/or tics, with the majority experiencing at least two neuropsychiatric symptoms, and healthcare utilization was high, including emergency visits and inpatient admissions
- The Canadian Paediatric Surveillance Program estimated that the prevalence of PANS/PANDAS was 1 in 60,115 (0.0017%) for children ages 3 through 18 years
- The core diagnostic criteria of OCD, tics, or acute food refusal was absent in 12% of cases with 22% reporting sudden symptom onset
- Infection was associated with onset or exacerbation in less than 1 out of every 3 cases
- Most of the population exhibited 2+ neuropsychiatric symptoms with significant health care utilization amongst cases
