Rheumatic Fever/Strept Throat & OCD connection? (PANDAS)

Thanks for posting your replay, Noscubs. Do you notice if your picking gets worse when you get Strept throat and then is gone when you are better, only to get worse again when you get Strept throat again? Or does it get worse at times but gradually gets better, you know, waxes & wanes? Here is an excerpt from the article I read by By Marc W. Reitman, MD: "The National Institute of Mental Health group has recently published their findings of 50 children, following them over a 2-year course. The results indicate that these children have typical OCD symptoms but atypical associated features, which would include: * The onset of symptoms is sudden and dramatic such that parents can frequently recall the date of onset. The usual onset of OCD is more gradual. * This group of children has an earlier age of onset of symptoms than compared to the usual onset. * PANDAS children are seen to have complete remissions of symptoms between episodes of symptoms. The non-PANDAS OCD symptoms usually follow a waxing and waning course. * The presence of accompanying neurological signs such as tics, hyperactivity, or choreiform movements (irregular spasmodic involuntary movements of the limbs or facial muscles) further distinguishes this subgroup of children with OCD. * Other symptoms can include emotional lability (over reactions to minor events), separation anxiety, nighttime fears and oppositional behaviors. * Symptoms worsen following a strep infection." See, if this is the cause, the treatment is different than conventional OCD treatments. The article says, "Treatments for this type of OCD have included plasma exchange (a filtering of the plasma eliminating antigen/antibody complexes), intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), steroids or antibiotics. There is an ongoing study exploring the chronic use of antibiotics to prevent re-infection by strep, which could theoretically avoid further episodes of OCD. The results of this study could help guide clinicians in the treatment of this subgroup of OCD. However, these are no current recommendations that antibiotics should routinely be administered as a formal treatment." I've been 'picking' my mom's brains for my childhood symptoms. I don't know if my symptoms followed the pattern of "remissions of symptoms between episodes of symptoms" or if they waxed & waned. I am sure my picking (and other OCD symptoms) mostly wax & wane now, but maybe they do because my OCD became more typical OCD because of my stress over the years. I am so much worse as an adult (getting worse all the time) than when I was young. Wouldn't it be great if we could get rid of this!?!

Yes, tonsilitis, but caused by the Strept throat bacteria specifiacally. It is diagnosed with a throat culture and treated with antibiotics, whereas viral tonsilitis has to 'run it's course'. Read my reply to Noscubs. And, the reason OCD could be caused by Strept is stated in the article by Marc W. Reitman, MD as this, "Over the last ten years, there has appeared a mounting body of evidence that suggests there is a small subgroup of individuals whose childhood onset Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders may have been triggered by streptococcal throat infections. This association of an infectious cause with a neurobiological disorder may also be true for tic disorders, such as Tourette's Disorder, Trichotillomania (compulsive hair pulling), and possibly Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. These conclusions were drawn from research conducted by Drs. Susan Swedo, Judith Rappaport, and their associates at The National Institute of Mental Health. During the late 1980's, they observed that children with Sydenham's Chorea, the neurobiological manifestation that follows bouts of Rheumatic Fever, had an unusually high percentage of OCD symptoms, including both obsessions and compulsions. Rheumatic Fever is caused by Group A Beta hemolytic streptococcal bacteria, commonly known as strep throat. In a vulnerable subgroup of children, the immune response to the bacteria goes awry, causing the antibodies to mistakenly identify the basal ganglia (an area deep within the brain) as foreign bodies. The basal ganglia then become inflamed as a result of this "mistaken identification." This chain reaction is what is known as an autoimmune response, when the immune system misidentifies an individual's own cells as foreign. Noting that 70% of Sydenham's Chorea patients have OCD symptoms, Drs. Swedo and Rappaport conducted research of children with sudden onset of OCD, looking for a casual relationship between a strep infection and OCD symptoms...." I have heart valve damage from Rheumatic Fever, caused the way this article states the basal ganglia is attacked by the immune system. I believe it is possible my brain, the basal ganglia or other areas, even, could have been affected as well. I need as much info as possible to take to my Dr and have him help me figure out a better treatment for me. I am on an antidepressant and Vyvanse (I have chronic depression, dysphoria, ADD, insomnia, alcoholism, as well as OCD). I really am a mess. My childhood wasn't traumatic, no abuse that I can recall. I have close relationships with my whole family. My parents aren't divorced. And, although some of my siblings have been treated for depression on & off , and some of their children were treated for ADD, as well as my own son, and some of my relatives have committed or attempted suicide, and a few have addictive personalities, a couple alcoholics.... I seem to be the only one with so many problems, and so bad! I'll start a new thread in the next few days with my childhood symptoms and my current ones. Then we can all compare our demons (LOL-not!) Thanks for your post, agnesuk. My family thought/think the same thing about my willpower & it just being a bad habit. I sure hope we can all help each other here.