Improvement of Tourette syndrome symptoms with penicillin prophylaxis in two male children presenting with severe functional disorder

Serhat Kala1, Mahmut Zabit Kara2, Mehmet Hamdi Örüm3

1Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Private Clinic, Mersin, Turkey
2Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Health Sciences, Antalya Training and Research Hospital, Antalya, Turkey
3Department of Mental Health and Diseases, Kahta State Hospital, Adıyaman, Turkey

Keywords: PANDAS, penicillin, streptococcus, Tourette syndrome

Abstract

PANDAS (Pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections) is a term that refers to episodic prepubertal and sudden onset movement disorders and/or obsessive-compulsive symptoms associated with streptococcal infection. It is suggested that the autoimmune process initiated by the infection affects the basal ganglia and causes neuropsychiatric symptoms. It is thought that in these cases with neuropsychiatric symptoms, penicillin prophylaxis may be useful. In this article, the effects of penicillin prophylaxis in two male patients with Tourette syndrome associated with streptococcal infection are discussed.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declared no conflicts of interest with respect to the authorship and/or publication of this article.

Financial Disclosure

The authors received no financial support for the research and/or authorship of this article.