(And Why Your House Might Be Your Child’s Biggest Enemy)
When parents first hear about PANS/PANDAS, the focus is often on infections—strep, mycoplasma, Epstein-Barr, Lyme. But one root cause that is frequently overlooked, despite being a major driver of chronic illness, is mold and mycotoxin exposure.
If you have multiple children with PANS/PANDAS, or if your child’s flares seem constant despite treatment, mold exposure should be at the top of your list of potential culprits.
How Mold Triggers PANS/PANDAS Symptoms
Mold isn’t just an allergen; it’s a toxin-producing invader that can wreak havoc on the immune system, the brain, and even mitochondria. When a child with an already dysregulated immune system (thanks to PANS/PANDAS) is exposed to mycotoxins, their body often responds with more inflammation, immune dysfunction, and neurological symptoms.
Here’s what happens inside a mold-exposed child:
Neuroinflammation & Brain Dysfunction
Mycotoxins cross the blood-brain barrier—the protective shield that normally keeps toxins out of the brain. Once inside, these overactive microglia (brain’s immune cells) keep the brain in a constant state of inflammation. Imagine the brain’s immune system being stuck in a constant state of inflammation and fight-or-flight mode.
This chronic neuroinflammation leads to:
✅ Worsened OCD, rage, anxiety, and mood swings
✅ ADHD-like symptoms—hyperactivity, impulsivity
✅ Sensory sensitivities—sound, light, touch, and even taste can feel overwhelming
✅ Brain fog and cognitive difficulties—your child might struggle to process information, remember things, or stay engaged
Mitochondrial Impairment
Think of mitochondria as the body’s tiny power plants—they produce the energy needed for every function, especially in the brain and nervous system. But mycotoxins can suppress mitochondrial function, essentially cutting the power supply when your child needs it most.
For kids with PANS/PANDAS, this is a double punch. Their bodies are already in overdrive due to constant immune activation, which drains energy reserves. Add mold exposure, and their energy systems are pushed to the brink, which means the body has less energy for healing.
Increased Histamine & Mast Cell Activation
Mold is one of the major triggers for mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), a condition where the body over-releases histamine and other inflammatory chemicals. This flood of histamine can lead to:
✅ Heightened sensory issues (sound, touch, taste, smells)
✅ Increased anxiety, panic attacks, and meltdowns
✅ Sleep disturbances (trouble falling asleep, night terrors, early waking)
When mast cells release histamine in response to mold exposure, it doesn’t stay confined to the sinuses or skin. Histamine can cross the blood-brain barrier, leading to increased neuroinflammation. This means the brain becomes more inflamed, making it harder for your child to regulate their emotions, behaviors, and even their thoughts.
For a child already battling PANS/PANDAS, this surge in histamine can amplify core symptoms like:
- OCD behaviors—rituals, intrusive thoughts, and compulsions may become more intense or frequent.
- Tics and motor issues—sudden, repetitive movements or sounds can flare up, even if they were previously under control.
- Mood swings and emotional instability—you might see heightened anxiety, irritability, or even sudden bouts of rage that seem to come out of nowhere.
Histamine also disrupts sleep patterns, leading to insomnia, night terrors, or early waking, which only further exacerbates emotional and behavioral symptoms. A tired brain is an inflamed brain, and without proper rest, it’s even harder for your child to cope with the stress and confusion caused by their symptoms.
Gut Inflammation & Leaky Gut
You’ve probably heard the phrase “all disease begins in the gut”—and this couldn’t be more true for kids with PANS/PANDAS. The gut is ground zero for immune health, and mold doesn’t just attack the brain—it inflames the gut as well.
When mold inflames the gut lining, it leads to leaky gut syndrome. This means undigested food particles, toxins, and bacteria leak into the bloodstream, triggering an immune response that adds fuel to the inflammatory fire.
Mold-induced gut inflammation leads to:
✅ Leaky gut, which increases food sensitivities and systemic inflammation
✅ Worsened histamine intolerance, making flare-ups more severe
✅ Poor nutrient absorption, leading to deficiencies in zinc, magnesium, and B vitamins—all critical for brain and immune function
Detox Overload
Children with PANS/PANDAS often have impaired detox pathways, meaning toxins build up faster than they can be cleared. Mold exposure adds to the toxic load, making it even harder for the body to eliminate toxins.
When the body can’t detox properly, waste products, environmental toxins, and inflammatory byproducts pile up with nowhere to go. This buildup of toxins sends danger signals to the immune system, which responds by ramping up inflammation in an attempt to protect the body. it drives more inflammation. But instead of calming down once the threat is handled, the immune system gets stuck in overdrive, constantly firing off inflammatory responses even though there’s no immediate danger.
Autoimmunity
In some cases, mold exposure pushes the immune system into hyperdrive. Mycotoxins act like intruders that trigger the body’s defense mechanisms, but instead of just targeting the mold, the immune system gets confused. It starts mistakenly attacking the body’s own tissues, particularly the brain.
This inflammation directly affects the areas of the brain responsible for mood, behavior, and motor control, worsening symptoms like:
✅ Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)—intrusive thoughts and compulsive rituals may become more severe or frequent.
✅ Tics and motor dysfunction—involuntary movements or vocalizations can flare up suddenly.
✅ Rage episodes and emotional outbursts—your child might experience uncontrollable anger, irritability, or mood swings that seem to come out of nowhere.
Immune Suppression
While mold can overactivate the immune system, it can also swing the other way and cause immune suppression. This means the immune system becomes too weak to defend against real threats, leaving your child vulnerable to chronic infections that can trigger or worsen PANS/PANDAS flares.
Mycotoxins can suppress key immune functions, making it harder for the body to fight off:
✅ Strep infections—a common trigger for PANDAS flares.
✅ Mycoplasma—an infection linked to both PANS and autoimmune reactions.
✅ Viral infections like Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV), herpes viruses, or even common colds, which can reactivate flares.
This immune suppression often leads to a vicious cycle: your child gets sick more often, and each infection causes another PANS flare. Even when treated with antibiotics or antivirals, the immune system might struggle to clear the infection completely, leading to persistent low-grade infections that keep triggering symptoms.
💡 If your child is constantly battling infections or seems to get sick with every little virus, mold could be silently weakening their immune defenses.
Red Flags That Mold Might Be Involved
Many families miss mold exposure as a root cause because it’s symptoms often mimic ADHD, PANS/PANDAS, Lyme, Bartonella or others diseases and conditions.
Here are some common mold exposure symptoms in children:
- Sudden worsening of PANS/PANDAS symptoms without a clear infection trigger
- Extreme emotional reactivity, aggression, rage episodes
- Severe ADHD-like symptoms, hyperactivity, or inattention
- Chronic fatigue and brain fog
- Unusual sensory issues (light, sound, texture sensitivity)
- Sinus congestion, frequent colds, or chronic post-nasal drip
- Heightened food or chemical sensitivities
- Skin rashes, eczema, or dark circles under the eyes (“allergic shiners”)
- Nighttime anxiety, night terrors, or poor sleep quality
- Regressions in developmental milestones or cognitive function
If a change in behavior coincided with a move, a water leak, vacation or changes in weather (increased humidity), mold could be at play.
If a family also has multiple children with PANS/PANDAS it should raise a red flag for an environmental trigger! It was for us.
To learn more about testing your home and child for mold and mycotoxins see the next post, The Parent’s Guide to Testing for Mold and Mycotoxins.