Does your child seem to get a spike of anxiety every time they get sick?
We so often think about anxiety as related to imbalances in neurotransmitters. But what if that idea is incomplete? Or in some cases, completely missing the mark?
The immune system plays a complex role in our bodies and influences all other systems. A major factor for this is inflammation, which is widely accepted to be related to almost all chronic health conditions, including anxiety.
But what about the cases where anxiety only spikes with illness? Is this just inflammation, or something more to worry about?
Anxiety after illness might be an early warning sign of something bigger.
Anxiety that spikes with every illness could be a sign of PANS or PANDAS.
PANS stands for Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome. PANDAS, a subset of PANS, stands for Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Strep. PANS can be triggered by anything that activates the immune system, whereas PANDAS is specifically associated with strep. Most people with PANDAS are also affected by other infections.
Sudden and intense anxiety, especially separation anxiety, in a child who isn’t typically anxious, is a common finding in PANS/PANDAS. Some parents report that this is the first thing they ever noticed in their child, but they brushed it off the first or even second time they saw it.
Anxiety associated with PANS/PANDAS might resolve on its own as the body fights off the infection, but it can also come on with a vengeance and stay until antibiotics or anti-inflammatory medications are given.
Anxiety resolving with antibiotics and/or anti-inflammatory medications is a strong sign of PANS/PANDAS.
Why does this happen?
It is likely caused by a phenomenon called molecular mimicry. When we are exposed to an infection, the body sends out immune cells whose job it is to look for anything in the body that doesn’t belong there. Viruses and bacteria try to hide from the immune system by adding proteins to themselves that resemble our cells. When this happens, the immune system can overbroaden its response and end up attacking our own cells, in addition to the microbe that is trying to hide from it.
I often talk to kids about it like this:
Me: “Hey Jack, do you wear masks at Halloween?”
Jack: “Yeah! I love Halloween. Last year I was Batman!”
Me: “That’s awesome. Did you look EXACTLY like Batman?”
Jack: “No.”
Me: “Yeah, masks are cool, but they never look exactly like the character. Do you think if I were to make a Jack mask, I would look just like you?”
Jack: “No way.”
Me: “Are you sure? Even if it was really good? You don’t think I could fool your mom there into thinking I am you?”
Jack: ‘No way Dr. Bahr!”
Me: “Yeah, you’re probably right. Your mom is pretty smart.”
Jack: “Why are we talking about masks?”
Me: “Well, the thing that is happening in your body is kind of like wearing a mask. The germs that make us sick are pretty tricky. They will try to hide from our immune system by making a protein that is like wearing a Jack mask. It is hoping it will trick your immune system so it won’t try to kill it.”
Jack: ”Whoa, really? That’s cool.”
Me: “It is a pretty cool thing that they figured that out. Luckily for us, our immune system is like your mom, and it can tell pretty quickly that it isn’t actually you. But when that happens, the immune system sometimes goes too far and starts attacking things that actually ARE you.
Jack: “Is that what is happening to me?”
Me: “Probably. But don’t worry. We can help your immune system learn to do the right thing again, so this won’t happen every time you get sick.”
PANS/PANDAS is more than just anxiety.
While sudden anxiety with illness can be a strong warning sign of PANS/PANDAS, anxiety alone doesn’t mean you have PANS/PANDAS. Check out this article to learn more about PANS/PANDAS, and this article to learn more about getting a diagnosis.
There are solutions that can bring full recovery of PANS/PANDAS. Classical homeopathy is a standout in this space for its ability to safely and effectively address the susceptibility to having this atypical immune response. Homeopathy can likely help with your child’s recurrent anxiety, even if you aren’t sure it is PANS/PANDAS or don’t want to wait to find out with the next illness.
