children s health issues
Tourette Syndrome and Other Tic Disorders in Children and Adolescents
Causes of Tic Disorders
The cause of tic disorders is not known, but tic disorders often run in families, so doctors think heredity plays a part. Sometimes people who have another disorder, such as Huntington Disease or a brain infection ( In children who have or have had a Streptococcal Infections , tics and/or symptoms of OCD sometimes start suddenly or become dramatically worse within a day. Such cases are called pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorder associated with streptococcus (PANDAS). Some investigators think that antibodies produced by the body to fight the streptococcal bacteria may cause tics (or OCD) or make tics worse. However, most investigators think that the proof of this connection is lacking. 