American Academy of Neurology:
Experts Respond to EMTICS Study Results

Leading PANS/PANDAS clinicians and researchers from around the globe came together to co-author a response to the article, Lack of Association of Group A Streptococcal Infections and Onset of Tics (2022). The response addresses the following:

• Critical limitations of this study are that only children with genetic risks for tics were studied and information about risk for autoimmunity, infection susceptibility, and antibiotics use are absent.
• Concern that the study may result in effective treatment being withheld from children.

Read the response published by the American Journal of Neurology on whether strep can lead to the development of tics and the possible implication for the treatment of children for free at https://tinyurl.com/4sjc6juf.

“We have witnessed the transformative effect of antibiotic treatment in a small group of patients with OCD and/or movement disorders secondary to GAS (Group A Strep) infections.

Consequently, we are concerned that results from the EMTICS study may be incorrectly extrapolated to children and adolescents with acute onset of tics, resulting in effective treatment being withheld.”

Gupta, Rajat, et al. “Reader Response: Lack of Association of Group A Streptococcal Infections and Onset of Tics.” Neurology, Apr. 2022.