AUTHOR=Bejerot Susanne , Hylén Ulrika , Glans Martin , Hesselmark Eva , Humble Mats B. 

TITLE=Joint Hypermobility in Paediatric Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome—A Preliminary Case-Control Study

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychiatry

VOLUME=Volume 12 - 2021

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.797165

DOI=10.3389/fpsyt.2021.797165

ISSN=1664-0640

ABSTRACT=Background:
Individuals with generalised joint hypermobility (GJH, present in 10%–20% of the general population) are at increased risk of being diagnosed with a range of psychiatric and rheumatological conditions. It is unknown whether Paediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome (PANS), characterized by childhood onset obsessive-compulsive disorder or restricted eating and typically associated with several comorbid neuropsychiatric symptoms, is associated with GJH. It is also unknown whether extensive psychiatric comorbidity is associated with GJH. 
Method:
This is a case–control study including 105 participants. We compared three groups: Individuals with PANS, individuals with other mental disorders and healthy controls. Joint mobility was assessed with the Beighton scoring system and psychiatric comorbidity with the MINI interview.
Results:
Hypermobility was similar across groups, and high rates of psychiatric comorbidity was not associated with higher Beighton scores.
Conclusion:
Although GJH is associated with several psychiatric conditions, such as ADHD and anxiety, this does not seem to be the case for PANS.