Tonsillectomy "May" Help with PANDAS?

Only in kids, there is a VERY rare (and controversial) disorder where strep throat infections can rapidly lead to involuntary tics including  chronic throat clearing ,  cough , head/neck movements, sneeze, etc as well as OCD behavior. Known as PANDAS ( P ediatric A utoimmune N europsychiatric D isorder A ssociated with S treptococcus), it is felt to be an autoimmune reaction triggered by antibodies produced by the body when fighting a strep infection. With this disorder, an evaluation with…

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PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcus)

Only in kids, there is a VERY rare (and controversial) disorder where strep throat infections can rapidly lead to involuntary tics including chronic throat clearing , cough , head/neck movements, sneeze, etc as well as OCD behavior. Known as PANDAS  ( P ediatric A utoimmune N europsychiatric D isorder A ssociated with S treptococcus), it is felt to be an autoimmune reaction triggered by antibodies produced by the body when fighting a strep infection. With this disorder, an evaluation with a p…

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Machine Gun Sneezing

ABC News on November 11, 2009 aired a story about a 12 year old girl with an unfortunate condition called " machine gun sneezing ". Apparently, she sneezes up to 16 times a minute all day except while sleeping and started after recovering from a mild cold. To be frank, it's a condition I've never seen before. Per an allergist interviewed for this story, the condition is extremely rare and "can be triggered by hundreds of causes, including allergies , sinus problems …

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