In addition to all our problems. husband was sick last month and tested postive for strep throat. He still didn't feel right after a month and had a blood test which showed that strep was in his blood. Then all the family got tested and the girls were OK only difficult child has strep in throat and blood. He wasn't sick though. I read on the net that there is a relation between strep and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) - my difficult child doesn't have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) symptoms but I wasn wondering if anyone knew about or had experience with strep and connection with other mental illnesses.
Streptococcus and mental illness
- Thread starter Yael
- Start date
compassion
Member
My difficult child has mono. I read it is often liked to mainc states, doing a lot of running around with little to no self care, immune system gets ways down. I have not heard the connection before with strep and MI. Is it the poor self care/low immune system connection? Compassion
My son had strep a couple of years ago. It must have been in his system for awhile because we didn't find out about it until he started urinating blood. He was so manic it was unbelievable. Our doctor told us that strep in bipolar people often makes them manic. difficult child did seem to settle down some when the medicine kicked in.
smallworld
Moderator
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) in Bethesda, Maryland, has been studying the link betwen strep, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and tics for quite some time. The researchers there have named the complex of symptoms PANDAs (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections).
Here's a link to NIMH info on PANDAs:
http://intramural.nimh.nih.gov/pdn/web.htm
Here's a link to NIMH info on PANDAs:
http://intramural.nimh.nih.gov/pdn/web.htm
compassion
Member
Intersting. difficult child currently has upper repsitory infection. Compassion
smallworld
Moderator
It has to be the strep bacteria, not an upper respiratory virus.
M
ML
Guest
Wow this is interesting. Manster has had strep twice (that I know of) and also has had tics and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
gcvmom
Here we go again!
There is also a movement disorder called Sydenham's Chorea that is the result of untreated strep infection. It can involve mood changes as well. My difficult child 2 developed this. His handwriting suddenly deteriorated over a one month period and his behavior and mood got worse. I was glad I saved his spelling tests so I could show the doctors. It took well over a year to get an accurate diagnosis. A neurologist finally examined him and felt choreoathetotic movement in his hands, and a strep titre was checked -- his was 1360. Normal is <=170 for his age. That's what confirmed the diagnosis.
We believe he had the infection while we on vacation one year. His pediatrician called in antibiotics for him because he started running a fever after having had a cough for a week. He took the medications for a few days, but broke out in a rash (likely scarlet fever). I thought the rash was from the medication, so I stopped it. My mistake!
His movement problems have resolved almost completely. This disease does remit and relapse. If he's exposed to strep again or contracts it, the disease will likely come back, and possibly worse. It causes inflammation in the basal ganglia. The body mistakes the cells there for strep proteins and attacks it. It is technically an immune disorder.
We believe he had the infection while we on vacation one year. His pediatrician called in antibiotics for him because he started running a fever after having had a cough for a week. He took the medications for a few days, but broke out in a rash (likely scarlet fever). I thought the rash was from the medication, so I stopped it. My mistake!
His movement problems have resolved almost completely. This disease does remit and relapse. If he's exposed to strep again or contracts it, the disease will likely come back, and possibly worse. It causes inflammation in the basal ganglia. The body mistakes the cells there for strep proteins and attacks it. It is technically an immune disorder.
Shari
IsItFridayYet?
I don't know about the link but I do know wee difficult child and difficult child 1 both do not present strep "normally". They don't get sore throats or run fevers or anything outwardly visible. Their behavior will be "off", and maybe they'll mention some random ache or pain, and that was always the clue to me to drag them to the doctor...
