TOURETTES SYNDROME

Gilles de la Tourette syndrome is a condition that causes a person to make repeated, quick movements or sounds that they cannot control. These movements or sounds are called tics.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors

• Georges Gilles de la Tourette, who first described this disorder in 1885
• Tourette syndrome is passed down through families
• Syndrome may be linked to problems in certain areas of the brain
• Has to do with chemical substances that help nerve cells signal one another
• Four times as likely to occur in boys as in girls

SYMPTOMS

• Often first noticed during childhood, between ages 7 and 10
• Most common first symptom is a tic of the face
• Other tics may follow
• A tic is a sudden, fast, repeated movement or sound
• Can range from tiny, minor movements to constant uncontrollable movements

Tics can include:

• Arm thrusting
• Eye blinking
• Jumping
• Kicking
• Repeated throat clearing or sniffing
• Shoulder shrugging

SYMPTOMS cONT...

• Tics may occur many times a day
• Tend to improve or get worse at different times
• Tics may change with time
• Usually get worse before the mid-teen years

SIGNS AND TESTS

Have had many motor tics and one or more vocal tics, although these tics may not have occurred at the same time

Have tics that occur many times a day, nearly every day or on and off, for a period of more than 1 year. During this period, there must not have been a tic-free period of more than 3 months in a row.

Have started the tics before age 18

Have no other brain problem that could be a likely cause of the symptoms

Expectations (prognosis)

Symptoms are usually worst during the teenage years and then improve in early adulthood. In some persons symptoms go away entirely for a few years and then return. In a few persons, symptoms do not return at all.

COMPLICATIONS

• Anger control issues
• Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
• Impulsive behavior
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder
• Poor social skills

PREVENTION

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