Strep Throat

February 7, 2007

Strep throat strikes about one out of three school kids each year. Now, University of Florida research shows strep infections may lead to more than achy throats. In a study of about seven-hundred grade schoolers, researchers found that as strep infections increased, a rise in tics, jerky movements and obsessive behaviors followed. UF psychiatrist Tanya Murphy says strep may have some neurological effects.

Murphy: “What we found, most interestingly, was that the kids who had repeated strep infections over the eight months tended to have more movement disorders and more behavior findings.”

Experts say strep-triggered antibodies may interact with brain cells in a small number of kids who may develop problems like Tourette’s syndrome or obsessive compulsive disorder.

Murphy: “Certainly not all these kids who had symptoms would have had any psychiatric disorder; we’re not suggesting that at all. But, what we were looking for was when children had had a strep infection, did some of these behavior symptoms get more severe or more prevalent.”

Doctors say there’s no reason for parents to panic, but they say a lot more research is needed on strep.

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