What Is Tourette Syndrome?
Tourette syndrome is a neurological disease. It causes returned, automatic physical moves and vocal discharges. The exact cause is hidden.
Tics include eye blinking, throat clearing, sniffing, shoulder shrugging, mirror grimacing, etc.
I had earlier shared How to Stop Tics disorder I hope you read.
Table of Contents
Incidence of tourette's syndrome
- 5 to 30 per 10,000 in children and 1 to 2 per 10,000 in adults.
- More frequent in boys than girls.
- The age of onset is two years but is seen more common in childhood.
Causes tourette’s syndrome
Genetics
- 2/3 of relatives of Tourette’s disorder client
- Twins study with both monozygotic and dizygotic twins.
Biochemical
- Abnormality in the level of dopamine, serotonin, GABA, acetylcholine, norepinephrine
Structural
- Dysfunction in the area of basal ganglia
- Larger volume in sub-region of the hippocampus in the brain
Environmental
- Complication in pregnancy
- Low birth weight
- Head trauma
- Carbon monoxide poisoning
Read:
Premature Infant: Cause, Treatment, And Health Problem In Pregnancy
Early signs of tourette’s syndrome in children
Motor tics
Simple tics
- Eye blinking
- Grimacing
- Shrugging of shoulder
- Tongue protrusion
- Neck jerking
Complex
- Facial gesturing
- Stamping
- Jumping
- Hitting self
- Squatting
- Twirling( hair twirling)
- Echo kinesis(the act of imitating movements)
Vocal tics
Simple
- Barking
- Throat clearing
- Sniffing
- Clicking( sharp sound)
- Grunts (animal voice)
Complex
- Echolalia(Repetition of the words)
- Palilalia(obscene gesture, inappropriate touching)
- Coprolalia(vulgar words, socially unacceptable)
Diagnostic evaluation
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
- Computerized tomography (CT),
- Electroencephalogram (EEG) studies,
- Lab investigation
- History
- Clinical examination
- Neurological examination
Treatment
Psychopharmacology
Antipsychotic
- Risperidone
- Olanzapine
- Haloperidol
Alpha agonist
- Clonidine
Antiepileptic drugs
- Topamax
Antidepressant
- fluoxetine
Psychotherapy
- To cope up with the other associated disorder like OCD, depression, ADHD, anxiety.
Behaviour therapy
- To mould the habits of tics and reduce the urge of the spasms.
Supportive therapy
- Help the child to cope with the problem and decrease the child’s unwanted behaviour by support.
I have already covered:
Conclusion
For many people with Tourette’s syndrome,
you may find that tics improve in your late teens and early 20s. Symptoms may even stop spontaneously and entirely in your adulthood.
If your Tourette’s syndrome decreases with your age, you may need treatment for related conditions, such as anxiety, depression, and panic attacks.
It’s vital to remember you Tourette’s syndrome is a medical condition that doesn’t affect intelligence or life expectancy.
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If you see any symptoms related to Tourette’s syndrome in your child, let us know in the comment box. So we can help you
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