If you've ever had strep throat you know it can be painful. But there can be more to it than just pain sometimes.
Latterious Gaither is 10 years old and his mother says he's been making strange movements lately, "The only thing I can describe is just uncontrollable jerking."
Coincidentally, two weeks before he'd been diagnosed with strep. The question is: Is it P.A.N.D.A.S?
"PANDAS stands for Pediatric AutoImmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Strep. It's basically a phenomenon where after a strep exposure a patient develops certain odd movements. These movements are usually somewhat distinct from what tic disorders look like in the sense that they are more fluid, dancing kind of movements as opposed to quick, jerky kinds of movements that are seen with tic disorders." said Dr. Michael Ziegler. He works with Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.
The Doctor has another question too, "Now, had he ever had any of these kinds of movements before two weeks ago?", he asked Latterious' mom.
Latterious said the tics started 10 months ago. They were barely noticeable back then. But they got worse after he got strep.
The strep caused a stress that has unmasked and worsened his tic disorder. Any kind of stress on the body whether it's emotional or physical can unmask or exasperate certain disorders.", Ziegler said.
Tics are a mysterious neurological disorder that typically begins just before puberty and more often in boys than in girls. The Doctor says there is no diagnostic test. Often the treatment is to simply keep an eye on the child.
