"Can Strep Throat Cause Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder?"

[thereishope]

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2010/11/08/strep-throat-cause-obsessive-compulsive-disorder/

 

 

 

"For years, researchers have wondered about a connection between children getting strep throat and later showing symptomsof obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

 

Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a frequently debilitating condition affecting millions of Americans in which those afflicted think repetitive thoughts they don’t want to or perform compulsive, ritualistic behaviors they wish they didn’t have to—like washing their hands many, many times (sometimes until they bleed) or repeatedly checking a light switch to make sure it is off (even if they have to do so for an hour).

 

The thinking has been that strep throat bacteria trigger the production of antibodies that end up not only targeting strep, but “mistakenly” acting on an enzyme in the brain, which is involved in making brain chemical messengers. In so doing, the antibodies to the strep throat infection pathologically alter the balance of these chemical messengers.

 

Now, Israeli researchers have taken the theory one step further. A team at Tel Aviv University has created a lab model of how the process works. They take rats and expose them to strep bacteria and compare them to another group of rats who are not exposed to the bacteria. The ones exposed to the bacteria do indeed develop antibodies to the strep and high levels of those antibodies are, in fact, found bound to particular receptors in their brains. What’s more, these strep-exposed mice show compulsive behaviors like repeatedly and senselessly grooming themselves. Sounds a lot like repeatedly and senselessly washing one’s hands, right?

 

So, it is increasingly looking as though being infected by strep (as in, getting strep throat that isn’t very promptly treated) may be one significant reason people develop OCD. This is a stunning possibility, not only because of its implication for folks with that single condition, but because other conditions mimic OCD in many of their features—including autism.

 

For now, I would recommend routinely testing children for strep throat. Certainly, that would mean testing them with throat cultures whenever they have sore throats. Yes, whenever. Every time. But I also advise having throat cultures done a few times during the winter months just to do it. Many children exposed to strep (and infected by it) do not complain of a sore throat.

 

I also suggest that any parent of a child suffering with OCD have a blood test done designed to detect strep antibody levels in the bloodstream and consider having the fluid that bathes the spinal cord tested for these antibodies. If high levels are found, that may argue for vigorous treatment with antibiotics to drop those levels.

 

This is one time when getting aggressive with antibiotics makes all the sense in the world. Because the possibility of saving a person from OCD is worth the trouble and will actually save lots of suffering (not to mention, lots of money), in the long run.

 

Dr. Keith Ablow is a psychiatry correspondent for Fox News Channel and a New York Times best-selling author. His book, “Living the Truth: Transform Your Life Through the Power of Insight and Honesty” has launched a self-help movement. Dr. Ablow can be reached at info@keithablow.com."

[kimballot]

Vicki - you amaze me! Always a source of information! Thanks so much for posting-

[Not_the_Same]

It seems that main stream media has finally grasped the idea that a common infection can cause complex disorders.

 

The often misdiagnosis will lead to respected professional opinions suggesting treatment with ssri or other masking plans of action.

Alternatively, an aggressive course in the correct abx, may prevent a life of psychiatric medications.

 

I would also like to mention, I do believe, the flood of GMO and Non Organic food supply, into our every day diet adds to the probability of a heavily medicated society.

 

This is what i believe.

 

Thanks for the article Vickie.

Edited November 9, 2010 by Not the Sam(e)

[philamom]

Vickie- you've done it again! Great article...thanks for posting!

[Ozimum]

Hi Vicki,

 

I found this too...

 

Ozimum

 

http://www.aftau.org...rticle&id=13179

 

Obsessing Over Strep Throat in Kids

 

A common infection in children, strep throat can lead to problems with a child’s heart, joints or brain if left untreated. And when the brain is involved, motor and mental functioning may be compromised, leading to syndromes such as attention deficit disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

 

While scientists have speculated on a link between OCD and childhood infections like strep for more than two decades, Prof. Daphna Joel and her team of researchers at Tel Aviv University’s Department of Psychology have now scientifically demonstrated that strep can lead to brain dysfunction and OCD. Dr. Joel says their breakthrough could lead to new drugs for treating OCD, and may in the future prevent the psychiatric disorder altogether.

 

Conducted by the PhD student Lior Brimberg and in collaboration with Prof. Madelaine W. Cunningham of the University of Oklahoma, the research, recently presented at the 13th Congress of the European Federation of Neurological Societies in Florence, Italy, is expected to be published by the beginning of next year.

 

How strep attacks the brain

 

“It’s almost impossible to show how strep can lead to OCD in humans ― almost all of us, even very young children, have been exposed to the bacterium at one time or another,” says Prof. Joel. “But childhood seems to provide a distinct window of opportunity for the disorder to take root through strep infection,” she warns.

 

Working with the world’s leading specialist in strep-related heart disease, Prof. Cunningham, the researchers developed a new animal model to show how exposure to strep affects the brain and leads to a number of physical and mental ailments.

 

In her Tel Aviv University laboratory, Prof. Joel and Brimberg created an animal model using rats exposed to the strep bacteria. Comparing them to a strep-free control group, Prof. Joel measured a distinct difference in behavior in the strep-exposed animals.

 

First, the strep-exposed rats developed a strep antibody which deposited in their brain, confirming the suspicions of previous researchers. Those exposed also developed balance and coordination difficulties, as well as compulsive behaviors such as increased and repetitive grooming.

 

More important, they also found that the strep antibody binds itself to dopamine D1 and D2 receptors in the brain. This finding is in harmony with the fact that one of the main drugs for treating Sydenham's Chorea, a motor disorder associated with strep, targets these same dopamine D2 receptors.

 

“We were able to show that these antibodies are binding to receptors in the brain and changing the way certain neurotransmitters operate, leading to brain dysfunction and motor and behavioral symptoms,” Prof. Joel says.

 

Prevention before the cure

 

This breakthrough finding could lead to new modes of diagnosis of the disease and provide a new platform for drug developers seeking to treat or cure OCD.

 

According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, OCD affects up to 2% of all children and adolescents in the U.S. The disorder is characterized by recurrent intense obsessions and/or compulsions that may cause severe discomfort, anxiety and stress, and interfere with day-to-day functioning.

 

Prof. Joel stresses how important it is for parents who notice signs of strep throat to ensure that their children get treated with the appropriate antibiotics in a timely fashion.

 

Strep-induced OCD will likely continue to be a major problem in the developing world where strep is not treated adequately, she concludes.

[thereishope]

Thanks, Ozimum! Yes, I have seen that. Some wonder if it is replication study of the Columbia mouse study http://www.mailman.columbia.edu/news/antibodies-strep-throat-bacteria-linked-obsessive-compulsive-disorder-mice We'll find out!

Edited November 9, 2010 by Vickie