The Turkish Journal of Pediatrics
2009 , Vol 51 , Num 4
The Relationship Between Group A Beta Hemolytic Streptococcal
Infection and Psychiatric Symptoms: A Pilot Study
Departments of 1Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and 2Pediatrics, Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara,
Turkey, and 3Department of Biostatistics, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, United States
The aim of this study was to test if children with group A beta hemolytic
streptococcal infection (GABHS) are more likely to develop neuropsychiatric
symptoms or the syndrome of Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders
Associated with Streptococcal Infection (PANDAS) compared to children with
GABHS-negative throat cultures. Children aged 8 to 12 years (n=81) with
upper respiratory tract infection were assessed with the Schedule for Affective
Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children - Present and Lifetime Version,
Children’s Yale Brown Obsession Compulsion Scale, Yale Global Tic Severity
Scale, Child Behavior Checklist for Ages 4-18, Conners Parent Rating Scale,
and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children at baseline and six weeks later.
One case of PANDAS was diagnosed and no other differences were observed
between groups and time points. It was suggested that GABHS infection may
be a triggering factor for PANDAS in some genetically prone individuals.
Keywords :
Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal
Infection (PANDAS), neuropsychiatric disorders, streptococcal infection, autoimmunity,
behavioral symptoms.