Introduction:

Since 1980, there have been known cases of childhood neuropsychiatric syndromes in the world and its concept has evolved with changes in the definitions in 1995 (PITANDs - paediatric infection-triggered autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders), 1998 (PANDAS - paediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric syndrome associated with streptococci infection), 2010 (PANS - paediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome) and 2012 (CANS - childhood acute neuropsychiatric syndrome). Despite being known for more than 20 years, it is still an illness that often goes unnoticed by many health professionals.

Objective:

To sensitise the medical community about the identification of the disease and reduce the morbidity associated with a late diagnosis.

Clinical case:

A 6-year-old schoolgirl brought to the emergency department due to her refusal to eat. In the hospital treatment, a clinical history was identified with PANS-PANDAS diagnostic criteria. She exhibited a relapsing-remitting clinical course, as described in the literature, with poor response to first-line treatments.

Conclusions:

In all school-age child presenting with obsessive compulsive disorder or eating disorders, with other symptoms or not, a possible link to PANS-CANS should be evaluated and ruled out.

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