Tourette syndrome and other tic disorders in a total population of children: Clinical assessment and background

Abstract

Aim: To describe the symptoms, onset, heredity, pre‐/perinatal events and socio‐economic status in Tourette syndrome (TS) and other tic disorders. Methods: From a total population of 4479 children, 25 (0.6%) with TS, 58 (1.3%) with chronic motor/vocal tics (CMVT) and 214 (4.8%) with transient tics (TT) in the last year were found. A three‐stage procedure was used: tic screening, telephone interview and clinical assessment. The TS group was compared with 25 children with TT and 25 controls without tics. Results: The mean age of the first symptoms of TS was significantly lower than the onset of CMVT. All except one with TS had contact with medical services. The tics of children with TS were significantly more severe than the tics of others. Younger age of onset of TS indicated more severe tics. Parents and siblings of children with TS had an increased prevalence of tic disorders, obsessive‐compulsive behaviour (OCD), attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and depression. Eighty per cent had a first‐degree relative with a psychiatric disorder. A non‐significant increase with regards to reduced optimality score in the pre‐, peri‐ or neonatal periods was found in children with TS compared to controls. No differences were found concerning socio‐economic status. Conclusion: Almost all children from a total population with TS have sought help from medical services. An increased prevalence of tics, OCD, depression or ADHD was found in the parents/siblings of children with TS, which draws attention to the importance of thorough investigation of family members.

Review of Prevalence Studies of Tic Disorders: Methodological Caveats

“…However, in our study, the use of telephone interviews decreased the level of diagnostic certainty by increasing the frequency of possible tics up to 19.4% 32. Unfortunately, similar reliability of data from telephone interviews has not been published in other studies, so comparisons are not possible 16,50…”

Prenatal risk factors for Tourette Syndrome: a systematic review

“…There was only one small study (25 cases and 25 controls) in which the mother’s age in the group with TS was significantly younger than the control group (20 ± 1.4 versus 23 ± 3.4, p < 0.01) [13]. For pre-conception health status, major health problems prior to pregnancy were not associated with the onset of TS, or TS comorbidity, according to the results of two published studies [15,17].…”

Tourette syndrome and chronic tic disorder are associated with lower socio‐economic status: findings from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children cohort

“…The majority of previous studies that have examined the association between tic disorders and SES found no association. [6][7][8]10,11 However, all but two of these studies were conducted in clinical rather than population-based samples. Motlagh et al 6 found no association between individuals with Tourette syndrome recruited from a tic disorder clinic and SES using mean years of parental education or mean SES derived using the Hollingshead fourfactor index of social status, which examines education, occupation, sex, and marital status.…”