TOURETTE'S SYNDROME
TOURETTE SYNDROME was first recognized in 1825 by French neurologist Jean-Marc Itard, and 60 years later, neuropsychiatrist Georges Albert Edouard Brutus Gilles de la Tourette wrote a detailed account of several patients with tics in 1885.
Tourette Syndrome is a neurological movement disorder that is inherited, and affects between 100,000 to 200,000 people in the United States. About 1 million Americans may have very mild symptoms of TS.
A person with TS makes involuntary and repeated body movements, called "tics" which are not always present, but may worsen with fatigue or stress. Multiple motor and one or more vocal tics occur concurrently at some time during the duration of the disease. They can occur daily, or nearly daily, and intermittently over the course of at least a year. The location, number, frequency, complexity, or severity of tics changes over time.
Symptoms of TS generally appear before the age of 18, with the first symptoms usually facial tics, such as eye blinks. Although there are treatments, there is as yet no cure for TS and symptoms can last throughout a child's lifetime. Symptoms generally decline in severity after puberty, and 20-30% of cases have symptoms that disappear entirely as a child enters their 20's. People with TS have a normal life span, and it does not affect a person's IQ. Tics decrease in frequency and intensity during sleep. TS is seen in all ethnic groups, with males affected by 3 to 4 times more than females. The majority of cases are mild, although specific symptoms and their severity vary from person to person. Most people with TS are able to hold jobs and lead full lives.
Motor tics are involuntary movements that most often involve the face and neck muscles. Such movements include shoulder shrugging, eye blinking, and nose twitching. They can also involve the rest of the body, as in arm thrusting, leg kicking and jumping motions. Motor tics usually occur in the same part of the body, but over time, tics may fade from one part and appear in another part. People with TS may also be obsessive, compulsive, inattentive, hyperactive, impulsive, learning disabled and depressed. 15% of cases include involuntary jerking with obscene words and gestures.
Traumatic injury to the brain can also cause tics. For example, a car accident could damage the brain and leave a person with tics. Tics can also result from neurological disorders such as encephalitis and Huntington's disease. Long-term use of certain antipsychotic medication may also cause tics. Therefore, all possible causes must be considered before coming to the conclusion a child has Tourette's Syndrome.
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