Association between pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections disease and tumor necrosis factor-α gene−308 g/a, −850 c/t polymorphisms in 4-12-year-old children in Adana/Turkey.

OBJECTIVES: Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections (PANDAS) is a newly defined disease in neuropsychiatry and occurs with an autoimmune mechanism after Group A Beta Hemolytic Streptococcus (GABHS) infection. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF), encoded by TNF-α gene has an important role in the apoptotic mechanisms of autoimmune diseases. Recently, TNF-α polymorphisms and autoimmune/psychiatric disorders have been reported to be related. In this regard, we focused on to investigate a possible relation between the TNF-α gene promoter region−308 G/A and − 850 C/T polymorphisms and PANDAS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, ages of PANDAS patient and control groups were ranging from 4 years to 12-year-old. Patient group includes childhood onset PANDAS patients (n = 42) and control group includes healthy children (n = 58). Diagnoses have been carried out according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder (DSM-IV) criteria with Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia-Present and Lifetime (KSAD-S-PL) and Children Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale Moreover, PANDAS criteria established by the American National Psychiatry Institute have been employed for diagnoses. For identifying polymorphisms; Polymerase Chain Reaction, Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism and Polyacrylamid Gel Electrophoresis were used. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: For −308 polymorphism, 37 of 42 PANDAS patients’ results and for −850 C/T polymorphism, 38 of 42 PANDAS patients’ results were obtained. According to our statistical analysis there is a positive relationship between PANDAS patients for −308 G/A polymorphism but not for −850 C/T polymorphism. There is no positive relationship between −308 G/A polymorphism and antistrep-tolysin O (ASO) titers and no relationship between −850 C/T polymorphism and ASO titers. We found, however, positive relationship between genders of patients (boys) and the disease. According to our results, we propose that the AA polymorphism of −308 G/A polymorphism can be used as a molecular indicator for PANDAS.