HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 2022-4653

HR 4653

ByRepresentatives Thai, Pollet, Wicks, Orwall, Morgan, Fey, Walen, and Callan

WHEREAS, Pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infection (PANDAS) and pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndromes (PANS) involve a misdirected autoimmune process that affects or weakens the blood-brain barrier in children; and

WHEREAS, Children afflicted with PANDAS or PANS display sudden, dramatic changes in personality manifesting as obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), together with accompanying symptoms following a strep, bacterial, or viral infection; and

WHEREAS, Accompanying symptoms may include tics, intense fear or anxiety, depression, behavioral regression, deterioration in school performance, sensory sensitivities, severely restricted food intake, and more; and

WHEREAS, It is estimated that at least one in 200 children in the United States are affected by PANDAS/PANS; and

WHEREAS, Children with PANDAS/PANS can often go undiagnosed, misdiagnosed, or undertreated. PANDAS/PANS is likely as common as pediatric cancer and pediatric diabetes and can seriously affect health outcomes in a child's life; and

WHEREAS, Established standards of care for treatment of PANDAS/PANS include antibiotics, steroids, intravenous immunoglobulin, plasmapheresis, cognitive behavioral therapy, and anti-inflammatory medications and are used based on the needs of the child and the severity of an individual case; and

WHEREAS, Greater public awareness of this health issue is imperative to improve timely diagnosis and access to treatment so that health outcomes for affected children may be improved;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize and honor the patients and families affected by PANDAS/PANS and the practitioners who assist them.