A Study of Prevalence and Clinical Characteristics of Tic Disorders in Children at Sohag University Hospital

Overview

Tics are brief, sudden, repetitive movements and/or sounds that increase with stress, anxiety, transitions, or excitement. Tics occur most commonly in children and adolescents, with boys more frequently affected than girls The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry states that tics affect up to 10 percent of children during their early school years. . The exact pathophysiologic mechanisms are unknown, but the disorders are likely to be due to disturbances of the cortico striatal- thalamo -circuitry. Risk factors for tic disorders include. Genetics: Tics tend to run in families, so there may be a genetic basis to these disorders. Sex: Men are more likely to be affected by tic disorders than women. They are divided into motor tics (e.g., blinking, shrugging shoulders, grimacing, or jerking) and vocal tics (e.g., throat clearing, sniffing, grunting) . Patients describe an inner urge or a local premonitory sensation, which is then relieved by performing the tic. The tic can be voluntarily suppressed for short periods of time. Tics increase with stress, anxiety, transitions, and excitement, and decrease with distraction. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry states that tics affect up to 10 percent of children during their early school years .The most notable tic disorder is Tourette syndrome, in which both physical and verbal tics occur in the same individual, often at the same time. Transient tic disorder also involves both types of tics, but they often occur individually . Tic disorders are classified into 3 categories : Transient tic disorders involve motor or vocal tics that last for more than 4 weeks but less than a year. Chronic tic disorders involve either motor tics or vocal tics (but not both) that last for more than a year. Tourette Syndrome, in which both physical and verbal tics occur in the same individual Conditions associated with tic disorders, especially in children with TS, include: anxiety, ADHD, depression ,autism ,spectrum disorder learning difficulties ,OCD speech and language difficulties, sleep difficulties other complications associated with tic disorders are related to the effect of the tics on self-esteem and self-image . Some research! has found that children with TS or any chronic tic disorder experience a lower quality of life and lower self-esteem than those without one of these conditions