More than strep: PANDAS causes violent behavior in some children
AUSTIN (KXAN) — It’s an infection so common just about every child gets it at one point in his or her life. A strep infection in kids can usually cause a sore throat, fever, headache and fatigue but some parents say it’s also causing sudden and dramatic physical and psychotic symptoms in kids.
“It’s just not my child. I put my child to bed one day and he just woke up the next day and he was a completely different kid,” says Tracy Ganske, mom to a 13-year-old in Austin.
Mystery diagnosis
She says in the winter of 2017 her fun, gentle, loving son had a life-changing reaction when he was exposed to the Streptococcus bacteria. Tracy says her son suddenly developed a droopy eye and twitching. Most concerning, he also went into sudden psychotic rages and had hallucinations. She recalls one day looking over to see him holding his head tightly.