Tourette's syndrome
Last edited 11/2022 and last reviewed 11/2022
Originally described in 1885, Tourette's syndrome (TS) or Gilles de la Tourette's syndrome is a childhood disease characterized by a combination of at least two motor tics and one vocal tic that is chronic (more than 1 year) in nature (1)
Tourette's syndrome is the association of:
- motor tics, such as:
- eye blinking
- throat clearing
- sniffing
- arm thrusting
- kicking
- shoulder shrugging
- involuntary vocalisations:
- may be obscene (coprolalia)
Patients commonly show psychological psychiatric co-morbidity:
- studies conducted at specialist clinics have revealed that pure Tourette's syndrome (without any associated psychiatric morbidity) was observed in only 10 % of the patients
- associated behavioural spectrum of Tourette's syndrome plus includes:
- most common
- obsessive compulsive disorder
- attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
- impulsiveness
- other conditions
- depression
- impulse control disorders in adults (1,2)
The underlying pathophysiology of Tourette syndrome is not fully understood (3).
Reference:
- (1) Cavanna AE, Seri S.Tourette's syndrome. BMJ. 2013;347:4964.
- (2) Cath DC et al.European clinical guidelines for Tourette syndrome and other tic disorders. Part I: assessment. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2011;20(4):155-71
- (3) Johnson KA et al. Tourette syndrome: clinical features, pathophysiology, and treatment.Lancet Neurology October 28, 2022