Emily Simpson recently revealed that her son Luke, 10, will undergo a brain procedure after being diagnosed with PANDAS.
For those who don’t know, PANDAS is a “pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorder associated with streptococcal infections. It describes a group of conditions thought to affect select children who have streptococcal infections, such as strep throat or scarlet fever. There have been some reports of the development of tics, obsessive-compulsive behavior, and other mental and neurological symptoms after PANDAS, although not yet a clear link has been established,” according to the Cleveland Clinic.
The 49-year-old appeared at the season 19 reunion of The Real Housewives of Orange Countywhere she revealed that her 10-year-old son Luke had recently been diagnosed with PANDAS.
After the shocking revelation, Cohen asked him to give him an update on his son Luke’s current condition, to which Simpson said his condition is “very complicated.”
The devastated mother joked: “He went from being a happy fourth grader who no teacher had ever told there was trouble. He was talented. And all of a sudden, my son completely changed. He just regressed. He started talking like a baby. He started acting out. And I was so confused.”
“And when the first episode aired, there were so many moms in my DMs saying, ‘Have you signed up for PANDAS?’ It’s very complicated. “I’m not a doctor, but it is associated with strep throat,” he recalled.
Cohen went on to ask, “Is this something that can be treated?”
“Yes, so they’re going to do laser treatment on his brain. To reduce the swelling in his brain. He asked me if the laser would hurt and I said, ‘No, it won’t.’ So, he has to work five days in a row for about three hours, and that’s supposed to reduce the swelling,” Emily Simpson explained.
