EXPAND’s vision includes consistent care for patients, regardless of the country in which they live. A crucial step is to develop a European perspective on diagnostic criteria and treatment guidelines for PANS/PANDAS/BGE.
This responsibility falls to the newly established EXPAND Scientific and Medical Advisory Board, which will first identify a process and method to establish a systemic clinical approach based on state of the art scientific research and best clinical practices.
Their recommendations will be reported here and regularly reviewed and refined to provide insight and elucidation into the underlying biological mechanisms causing this disease. Such research may include identification of novel genetic and other biological markers that could help diagnose patients, as well as the development of new targeted therapies for molecularly stratified patients.
Linked below are the current diagnostic criteria and treatment guidelines in use.
In addition, the PANDAS Physicians Network website is linked here. The website was created by and for clinicians based on the guidelines published in the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology. They provide useful tools that can assist with recognizing, understanding and treating these conditions. For example, they have developed a diagnostic flowchart and easy to follow treatment recommendations based on symptom severity.
