pediatrics
Tic Disorders and Tourette Syndrome in Children and Adolescents
Introduction
Ticsare defined as repeated, sudden, rapid, nonrhythmic muscle movements including sounds or vocalizations.Tourette syndromeis diagnosed when people have had both motor and vocal tics for > 1 year. Diagnosis is clinical. Tics are treated only if they interfere with a child's activities or self-image; treatment may include Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics and alpha-adrenergic agonists or antipsychotics. Tics vary widely in severity; they are common among children, many of whom are not evaluated or diagnosed. Tourette syndrome, the most severe type of tic disorder, occurs in 3 to 8/1000 children. Male to female ratio is 3:1 ( References , Tics begin before 18 years of age (typically between 4 years and 6 years of age); they increase in severity to a peak at about 10 to 12 years of age and decrease during adolescence. Eventually, most tics disappear spontaneously. However, in about 1% of children, tics persist into adulthood. Etiology is not known, but tic disorders tend to be familial. In some families, they appear in a dominant pattern with incomplete penetrance. 