May 27, 2024
NEDA Walk – Hartford, Connecticut
ASPIRE will have a table at the NEDA Walk in Hartford, Connecticut! If you have registered for the NEDA Hartford Walk on June 1st, make sure to stop by the...
PANS/PANDAS Treatment brought our daughter back
My daughter has always been anxious & a worrier, and we had attributed that to her learning struggles & severe food allergies. However, no matter these struggles, she always,...
May 25, 2024
Kansas PANS PANDAS Updates
HB2824 Mandating insurance coverage for pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome (PANS) and pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections...
May 24, 2024
Urgent call for 2024 AAP Red Book® to update strep testing recommendations.
ASPIRE and other PANS/PANDAS organizations are joining the PANDAS Physician Network in their efforts to call to the Academy of Pediatrics to update the Red Book’s® recently published...
Diagnosing and Treating Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated With Streptococcal Infections
O’Dor SL, Kuhn AJ, Williams KA, et al. Diagnosing and treating pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorder associated with streptococcal infections. Prim Care Companion CNS Disord. 2024;26(3):23f03662. May 23, 2024. https://doi.org/10.4088/PCC.23f03662
- Pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorder associated with streptococcal infections (PANDAS) is a disorder of acute onset with obsessive-compulsive disorder and/or tics in children following a group A streptococcal infection, often with other behavioral or cognitive symptoms, including irritability and separation anxiety.
- Symptoms of PANDAS overlap with those of many psychiatric and medical conditions; most children experience a relapsing and remitting course, and some have persistent difficulties that last through childhood and into their adolescence.
- Since PANDAS is a diagnosis of exclusion, a thorough psychiatric and medical evaluation is necessary to make the correct diagnosis and institute appropriate treatment.
- Treatment of PANDAS should involve a 3-pronged approach: psychiatric/behavioral treatment, immunomodulatory therapies, and antimicrobial treatment.
May 23, 2024
Richlands mom looks to spread awareness about neuropsychiatric disorder after both children diagnosed
An Onslow County woman is looking to spread awareness about a neuropsychiatric disorder both her children have been diagnosed with, one she said is often misdiagnosed by...
May 17, 2024
Mother desperate after insurance denies son’s treatment for coverage with serious brain disease
KCTV5 By Sharon Chen Published: May. 17, 2024 at 9:51 AM EDT|Updated: May. 22, 2024 at 3:48 PM EDT “IVIG is intravenous immunoglobulins or immune cells that go in and...
April 27, 2024
Mental Health Awareness Month
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, highlighting the prevalence of mental health conditions, with nearly half of Americans meeting diagnostic criteria. But what percentage of them should receive a...
April 27, 2024
Teacher Appreciation Week
National Teacher Day is May 7, 2024, and National Teacher Appreciation Week is May 6-10, 2024 Teachers and schools, your dedication shines brightly. We appreciate those who have attended an ASPIRE...
April 27, 2024
Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day
National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day is May 9th National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day raises awareness about the importance of caring for every child’s mental health...
Prevalence of Neurological Soft Signs at Presentation in Pediatric Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome
- 79.8% had at least one NSS-BG (neurological soft signs/behaviors).
- Average of 2.1 NSS-BG per patient.
- More NSS-BG = higher global impairment and more symptoms.
- Regression Results:
- NSS-BG correlated with global impairment and symptom count (p=0.045 and p=0.002, respectively).
- No correlation with age or PANS duration at presentation.
- Conclusions:
- High NSS-BG prevalence in PANS.
- NSS-BG linked to severity, not age.
- Suggests targeted neurological exams could aid PANS diagnosis.
April 25, 2024
Many mental-health conditions have bodily triggers:
The evolving evidence of the impact of inflammatory disorders and metabolic conditions, like PANS PANDAS, on mental health conditions is discussed in the latest issue of The Economist....