PANDAS may be quite rare. But some evidence suggests it could account for as many as 1 in 10 new cases of OCD in children each year. We simply don’t know for certain, as the majority of cases may go undiagnosed.
Typically, children affected by PANDAS have a dramatic – even overnight – onset of symptoms. This can include one or more new movement or vocal tics, as well as obsessions or compulsions or both. Some affected children become noticeably moody and irritable, have more difficulty separating from loved ones, experience a change in eating patterns or begin having trouble sleeping or controlling the bladder.
