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Clinical course and prognosis of Tourette syndrome

Children between the ages of 8 and 12 with Tourette syndrome (TS) have the highest frequency of tics. Tics decrease in frequency with adolescence. Leckman et al found that there is a 10 fold higher rate of tics in children with TS than in adults, and that by 18 years of age approximately 50% of children are tic free {citation id='974}. Similar numbers were found by other investigators [Burd: 2001]. Casting some doubt on this data, however, Pappert et al asked many adults with TS as children if they still had tics and half of those who said that they were tic-free were found to still have tics. [Pappert: 2003]. Associated conditions such as attention deficit disorder are likely to persist.

Authors

Authors:

Samuel H. Zinner M.D., 9/2008
Lynne M Kerr MD, PhD, 9/2008

Content Last Updated:

9/2008

Page Bibliography

Burd L, Kerbeshian PJ, Barth A, Klug MG, Avery PK, Benz B.
Long-term follow-up of an epidemiologically defined cohort of patients with Tourette syndrome.
J Child Neurol. 2001;16(6):431-7. PubMed abstract

Pappert EJ, Goetz CG, Louis ED, Blasucci L, Leurgans S.
Objective assessments of longitudinal outcome in Gilles de la Tourette's syndrome.
Neurology. 2003;61(7):936-40. PubMed abstract