# Strep throat causes ocd!



## babybowrain (Aug 24, 2010)

I found an article from an israeli site that says that childhood strep throat could cause ocd! I know many of us have ocd/anxiety, and maybe we just need some antibiotics!Strep throat causes ocd Just to do my own little research, does anyone have symptoms of step throat? I for example have difficutly swallowing sometimes, and a bit of an unpleasant feeling.


----------



## ROBO (Jul 29, 2010)

babybowrain said:


> I found an article from an israeli site that says that childhood strep throat could cause ocd! I know many of us have ocd/anxiety, and maybe we just need some antibiotics!Strep throat causes ocd Just to do my own little research, does anyone have symptoms of step throat? I for example have difficutly swallowing sometimes, and a bit of an unpleasant feeling.


well.. so thats what triggered my DP???
i had DP for six months when i was 15 (7 years ago). 
7 years passed without even one DP symptom till 3 months ago when it came back..
whats interesting is that i had mononucleosis (מחלת הנשיקה) eight months ago, with severe step throat.. couldnt eat\drink for 2 days.

do you have a link to this article in hebrew? or maybe in other news website?


----------



## Guest (Nov 6, 2010)

Didn't read this particular article. I believe this is called PANDAS. This occurs mainly in children and it is a very particular type of strep. No need to lose one's mind with this one! I'll look it up.
And this triggers OCD. OCD can have DP/DR WITH IT, but I don't believe DP/DR ALONE can be triggered by Strep. And again it is a particular strain.


----------



## Guest (Nov 6, 2010)

THIS IS A PEDIATRIC DISORDER, BUT WILL HELP US UNDERSTAND ADULT OCD. STREP THROAT DOES NOT CAUSE DP TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE. It is also associated with Tourette's and Tic disorders more closely connected to OCD.

Read the whole thing. This was researched some time ago, forgot when ... at least 5 years ago or more.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PANDAS

PANDAS is an abbreviation for *Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal infections*. This diagnosis is used to describe *a set of children who have a rapid onset of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and/or tic disorders such as Tourette syndrome (TS), following group A beta-hemolytic streptococcal (GABHS) infections such as "strep throat" and scarlet fever.[1]* The proposed link between infection and these disorders is an autoimmune reaction, where antibodies produced by the infection interfere with neuronal cells.[2]

This diagnosis is controversial and its usefulness is disputed by some scientists who think this sub-set of patients do not differ significantly from the remainder of the patient population, and that infections do not increase the risk of OCD or tics.[3] Consequently, the *PANDAS model is a complex and rapidly-moving area of medical research,* with a 2009 review stating that the link between streptococcal infections and tic disorders has remained unclear, despite a great deal of work in the area.[4] PANDAS is currently not listed as a diagnosis by the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD) or the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).


----------



## babybowrain (Aug 24, 2010)

Hairball Oracle said:


> THIS IS A PEDIATRIC DISORDER, BUT WILL HELP US UNDERSTAND ADULT OCD. STREP THROAT DOES NOT CAUSE DP TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE. It is also associated with Tourette's and Tic disorders more closely connected to OCD.
> 
> Read the whole thing. This was researched some time ago, forgot when ... at least 5 years ago or more.
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PANDAS
> ...


That is interesting...so does that mean that if I'm an adult and have ocd, it can't be from the strep throat bacteria? what if I developed it as a child?


----------



## babybowrain (Aug 24, 2010)

ROBO said:


> well.. so thats what triggered my DP???
> i had DP for six months when i was 15 (7 years ago).
> 7 years passed without even one DP symptom till 3 months ago when it came back..
> whats interesting is that i had mononucleosis (מחלת הנשיקה) eight months ago, with severe step throat.. couldnt eat\drink for 2 days.
> ...


Yes there is a link to the article in my original post somewhere in the middle


----------



## insaticiable (Feb 23, 2010)

babybowrain said:


> I found an article from an israeli site that says that childhood strep throat could cause ocd! I know many of us have ocd/anxiety, and maybe we just need some antibiotics!Strep throat causes ocd Just to do my own little research, does anyone have symptoms of step throat? I for example have difficutly swallowing sometimes, and a bit of an unpleasant feeling.


This is so, so interesting as I do believe that my brother suffered from strep throat as a young child, among a host of many colds and infections, and also had his tonsils removed at the age of 3. He began experiencing severe OCD at the age of 12. When my mom sought out help for him from a professional and shared his medical/physical history, the doctor said that there could have been a link between the strep throat/many infections/tonsil removal at such a young age and his onset of OCD. Interesting, no?

I too have OCD, but never suffered from strep throat as a child. I believe that the OCD was passed down to me genetically.


----------



## babybowrain (Aug 24, 2010)

well according to some website, you can have strep throat bacteria in you without actually having the strep throat...I know it's probably my imagination, but I gargled with salt and water today, a whole cup, and felt 20 times better...


----------



## Guest (Nov 6, 2010)

*As far as I understand, PANDAS is an illness of young children. And if you get the OCD it is virtually immediately during/after having a SPECIFIC type of Strep -- there are many strains. Please go back and look at the info from Wikipedia. This is not something you get 10 years later. I saw a special on Dateline or something some years ago. A young boy, maybe 10, got a A SPECIFIC TYPE of strep throat and virtually at THE SAME TIME developed severe OCD (compulsion to only walk along the sides of the interior of the house, not the middle of the room, etc.... VERY severe.)

Also, I have had "strep throat" -- it isn't mild discomfort. You KNOW you have strep throat if it feels like someone put razorblades in your throat and every time you swallow, one is trying to get down.

Also, you will have white spots in the back of your throat -- the very infection (like pus, GAH). This is not a "weird feeling in the throat."

I've had strep throat at 30. Haven't had any type of thing like for quite some time.*

*Please read: it isn't even clearly determined that THIS PARTICULAR STRAIN of strep causes OCD. And it would happen immediately, and it is a PEDIATRIC disorder that would come on at the same time of the infection or shortly (days) thereafter. I am not a PANDAS expert ... but please read the Wikipedia article.*


----------



## Guest (Nov 6, 2010)

Also, I've had strep throat about 4 times in my life that I recall (I'm 51) and you MUST take antibiotics to get rid of it. And it is painful and you feel lousy and have a fever as well. If it's a real bacterial infection YOU KNOW IT and you go to an MD to have a swab taken of your throat and get Rx antibiotics. It isn't just "a funny feeling in your throat."

*Please don't take this article and go wild with it. The syndrome PANDAS is not fully understood. It MAY be connected to Tourette's, tics, and OCD, IN YOUNG CHILDREN.*


----------



## babybowrain (Aug 24, 2010)

I don't know if the article read the research wrong, but they said that this is something different from pandas, completley new research, and that ocd could take root in childhood because of this illness, and continue into adulthood. Perhaps the article is phrased incorrectly or something. I had severe ocd for a while too, as a teen, right after a throat infection.


----------



## babybowrain (Aug 24, 2010)

actually they said not just having the illness, but just having the bacteria in you without the illness could cause ocd.


----------



## Guest (Nov 7, 2010)

babybowrain said:


> actually they said not just having the illness, but just having the bacteria in you without the illness could cause ocd.


Hi, I can only say that this has been studied for some time. News reports are often way behind research or have it wrong. Scientific American recently published a theory of deja vu that was totally wrong and had to retract it. Here is a MEDICAL JOURNAL article discussing this. If you go to PubMed and plug in PANDAS, you will get a lot of articles. And they are often in neurological journals -- this is still under debate.

*Neurology. 2009 Oct 20;73(16):1256-63. Epub 2009 Sep 30.
Streptococcal infection, Tourette syndrome, and OCD: is there a connection?

Schrag A, Gilbert R, Giovannoni G, Robertson MM, Metcalfe C, Ben-Shlomo Y.

Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Royal Free Campus, Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK. [email protected]
*
Comment in:

* Neurology. 2010 Apr 27;74(17):1397-8; author reply 1398-9.
* Neurology. 2009 Oct 20;73(16):1252-3.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: A causal relationship of common streptococcal infections and childhood neuropsychiatric disorders has been postulated.

OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis of an increased rate of streptococcal infections preceding the onset of neuropsychiatric disorders.

METHODS: Case-control study of a large primary care database comparing the rate of possible streptococcal infections in patients aged 2-25 years with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), Tourette syndrome (TS), and tics with that in controls matched for age, gender, and practice (20 per case). We also examined the influence of sociodemographic factors.

RESULTS: There was no overall increased risk of prior possible streptococcal infection in patients with a diagnosis of OCD, TS, or tics. Subgroup analysis showed that patients with OCD had a slightly higher risk than controls of having had possible streptococcal infections without prescription of antibiotics in the 2 years prior to the onset of OCD (odds ratio 2.59, 95% confidence interval 1.18, 5.69; p = 0.02). Cases with TS or tics were not more likely to come from more affluent or urban areas, but more cases lived in areas with a greater proportion of white population (p value for trend = 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: *The present study does not support a strong relationship between streptococcal infections and neuropsychiatric syndromes such as obsessive-compulsive disorder and Tourette syndrome. However, it is possible that a weak association (or a stronger association in a small susceptible subpopulation) was not detected due to nondifferential misclassification of exposure and limited statistical power. The data are consistent with previous reports of greater rates of diagnosis of Tourette syndrome or tics in white populations.*

PMID: 19794128 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]PMCID: PMC2889814Free PMC Article

Damn this was a sociological study as well. But, if you go to PUBMED just Google it and plug in PANDAS you will get many articles on it. It is a complex illness and it may or not be associated with CHILD ONSET OCD/TOURETTE'S/TICS.

Everyone remain calm!


----------



## Guest (Nov 7, 2010)

The News article itself is really saying, that if your child has strep throat you should get immediate treatment for the child. Be aware of the signs/symptoms. IN CHILDHOOD there may be a "window" of opportunity to develop PANDAS ... they may be able to understand adult OCD as well through studying this.

This again proves though, as I believe that most if not all mental illness is MEDICAL/NEUROLOGICAL. Psychological problems are something different from SYMPTOMS. So this is important and interesting. But we don't all need to start gargling. YOUNG CHILDREN should be treated IMMEDIATELY is the key point. And you must be treated with antibiotics. As I said, when I've had strep throat I felt awful, had a fever and a terrible sore throat where I couldn't swallow much at all as it was painful -- weird thing, sometimes only ONE side of my throat.

FROM THE ARTICLE:
"The findings also provide a promising education platform for preventing OCD and other related disorders from ever developing, despite a still incomplete understanding of the mechanism underlying the link between strep and brain dysfunction in children.

"Almost all of us, even very young children, have been exposed to the bacterium at one time or another," says Joel,* "But childhood seems to provide a distinct window of opportunity for the disorder to take root through strep infection.""*


----------



## Guest (Nov 7, 2010)

Oh, and I don't have OCD, lol.

I have GAD, clinical depression and chronic DP/DR. My family has a major history of mental illness as well.


----------



## babybowrain (Aug 24, 2010)

the "we all need to gargle" thing was a joke btw, thanks for the info/articles.


----------



## Guest (Nov 7, 2010)

LOL, I know. No worries. It's just that public media gets this stuff so WRONG. But it is very important for parents to get a child treatment for ANY illness right away. Some people think strep throat will "cure itself" like the flu and it needs to be treated with a full course of antibiotics.

And I just love it when Craig Ferguson says, "Please! Everybody remain calm!" LOL


----------



## brayanfraser (Dec 1, 2010)

OCD is a type of anxiety disorder. Children with OCD become concerned that something could be harmful, dangerous, wrong, or dirty - or ideas for the bad things that can happen. OCD, upsetting or disturbing thoughts or images are called obsessions, pop into the human mind, and it is hard to shake.


----------

