Unveiling the Connection: PANDAS Syndrome and Strep

3. Criteria for Diagnosis

Because there are so few studies about the syndrome, the medical community interprets the research in very different ways. There are no tests available to verify the syndrome. For this reason, some physicians do not consider PANDAS a diagnosis and choose to focus on treating the psychiatric symptoms. Physicians rely on a set of diagnostic criteria and blood tests to look for a previous strep infection:

• Pediatric onset of symptoms
• OCD, tic disorder, or both
• Positive throat culture for strep or a history of scarlet fever or other group A beta-hemolytic strep infection
• Neurological abnormalities, such as jerky movements or physical hyperactivity
• Abrupt onset or worsening of symptoms