Obsessive–compulsive disorder and immunology: A review

Abstract

Interest in the possibility of an immune-mediated pathophysiology of obsessive–compulsive disorder and related disorders has increased. In the late 1980s, the National Institute of Mental Health reported an increase in obsessive–compulsive symptoms (OCS) in patients with Sydenham chorea (SC). Subsequently, a precipitating streptococcal infection in children with sudden onset of OCS but no chorea led to the coining of PANDAS (Pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infection). This association has furthered interest in biological measures for immune and genetic susceptibility in non-PANDAS obsessive–compulsive disorder patients (OCD). Furthermore, some studies are trying to demonstrate alterations of immune parameters in OCD patients, with few positive results. In this narrative review, our objective was to describe the immunologic findings in OCD, PANDAS, and their association with SC.