Aside from the Definition section, this is where PANS and PANDAS differ the most. This is because they each follow a different criteria for diagnosis, even though some of the steps are relatively similar. Also, a lot of the criteria for each can be drawn back to the Symptoms section.
To be diagnosed with PANS, a patient must meet the following criteria:
An abrupt, acute, dramatic onset of obsessive-compulsive disorder or severely restricted food intake
Concurrent presence of additional neuropsychiatric symptoms with similarly severe and acute onset from at least two of the following categories:
Anxiety
Emotional Lability and/or Depression
Irritability, Aggression, and/or Severe Oppositional Behaviors
Behavioral (Developmental) Regression
Sudden Deterioration in School Performance
Motor or Sensory Abnormalities
Somatic Signs and Symptoms, including Sleep Disturbances. Enuresis, and Urinary Frequency
Symptoms are not better explained by a known neurologic or medical disorder
No age requirements
To be diagnosed with PANDAS, a patient must meet the following criteria:
Presence of OCD and/or tics (particularly multiple, complex, or unusual tics)
Symptoms of the disorder first become evident between 3 years of age and puberty
Acute onset and episodic (relapsing-remitting) course
Association with Group A Streptococcal (GAS) infection