Tourettes Syndrome is known to run in families, although there are cases of Sporadic Tourettes Syndrome where there is no known family link to the condition.
The condition tends to affect around three times more men than women. It is caused by problems in the development of the Central Nervous System (the brain and spinal cord) and often becomes apparent around the age of 7 years old although it is common for the symptoms to manifest themselves in early teenage years as well.
There are two main symptoms of Tourettes Syndrome. These are
Physical Tics This is where the patient of Tourettes suffers from either or a combination of the following symptoms ? facial twitches, blinking, hand and foot movements.
Vocal Tics The Tourettes Syndrome patient suffers from making involuntary noises or sometimes words.
These symptoms caused by Tourettes tend to appear around the age of 7 although they sometimes appear in older children. The symptoms tend to be quite mild although that doesn't stop them from being quite embarrassing and often the patient can suffer from bullying from other children.
In most cases, the symptoms from Tourettes Syndrome become a lot less as time goes by. However, in a few cases, the symptoms get worse as the patient becomes older. Sometimes, the physical or vocal tics can interfere with the patients life to a great deal.
It has been noted that stressful situations can make the symptoms of Tourettes Syndrome a lot worse. Also, it is important to know that the symptom where the sufferer involuntarily keeps saying obscene words, is despite popular belief quite rare.
We haven't managed to discover exactly what causes Tourettes Syndrome although there is a significant amount of research going on in order to establish what causes this condition.
It is widely accepted that Tourettes runs in families, but we don't know exactly which genes cause the problem.
The condition itself, it is believed is caused by problems in the development of the Central Nervous System (brain and spinal cord). This involves the neurotransmitters. It is possible that Tourettes is caused by the Central Nervous System developing in an uneven way.
Because nobody knows exactly what causes Tourettes Syndrome, it is very difficult to establish a generic method of treating this condition.
Luckily, most sufferers of Tourettes Syndrome have symptoms which are very mild so don't require treatment of any sort. However, for those who suffer from much worse symptoms, there is some medication which will relieve the symptoms. However, there isn't a specific treatment which will treat everybody. For some people one type of medication may work perfectly, but for another patient, it may not be effective. As with most medication, some of the side effects of these drugs may render the benefits not worth it. Some of the side effects can include weight gain.
For some patients, they find Psychotherapy useful. This technique may not necessarily cure the patient of Tourettes Syndrome, however, it is possible that this therapy may substitute one tic for another which is more socially acceptable.
Also, various relaxation techniques will reduce the patients level of stress thus reducing the severity of the tics they may experience.
Tourettes Syndrome can be a huge problem for the sufferer although most cases do tend to be quite mild. We don't know what causes Tourettes Syndrome, although we do have some good theories. Despite the fact that there is no known cure, there are still some good treatments which in most cases can relieve the symptoms or at least make them more manageable.
If you have Tourette syndrome, you make unusual movements or sounds, called tics. You have little or no control over them. Common tics are throat-clearing and blinking. You may repeat words, spin, or, rarely, blurt out swear words. Tourette syndrome (also called Tourette's syndrome, Tourette's disorder, Gilles de la Tourette syndrome, GTS or, more commonly, simply Tourette's or TS) is an inherited neurological disorder with onset in childhood, characterized by the presence of multiple physical (motor) tics and at least one vocal (phonic) tic; these tics characteristically wax and wane. Tourette's is defined as part of a spectrum of tic disorders, which includes transient and chronic tics.
Transient tic disorder consists of multiple motor tics, phonic tics or both, with a duration of between four weeks and twelve months. Chronic tic disorder is either single or multiple, motor or phonic tics (but not both), which are present for more than a year. Simple vocal tics may include throat-clearing, sniffing/snorting, grunting, or barking. More complex vocal tics include words or phrases. Some tics are preceded by an urge or sensation in the affected muscle group, commonly called a premonitory urge. Some with TS will describe a need to complete a tic in a certain way or a certain number of times in order to relieve the urge or decrease the sensation. Neuroleptics are the most consistently useful medications for tic suppression; a number are available but some are more effective than others (for example, haloperidol and pimozide). Specific behavioral treatments that include awareness training and competing response training, such as voluntarily moving in response to a premonitory urge, have shown effectiveness in small controlled trials.
Causes
The exact cause of Tourette's syndrome is unknown, but it appears to be linked to the gene or genes that control the chemicals that carry signals from one brain cell to another. About a third of people with the disorder have relatives with Tourette's, while another third have family members with milder tic disorders.
Families of people with Tourette's syndrome also tend to have a higher incidence of obsessive-compulsive behaviors and attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder.
Signs and Symptoms of Tourettes Syndrome
What are the symptoms?
Tics are classified as either simple or complex. Simple motor tics are sudden, brief, repetitive movements that involve a limited number of muscle groups. Some of the more common simple tics include eye blinking and other vision irregularities, facial grimacing, shoulder shrugging, and head or shoulder jerking. Simple vocalizations might include repetitive throat-clearing, sniffing, or grunting sounds. Complex tics are distinct, coordinated patterns of movements involving several muscle groups. Complex motor tics might include facial grimacing combined with a head twist and a shoulder shrug. Other complex motor tics may actually appear purposeful, including sniffing or touching objects, hopping, jumping, bending, or twisting. Simple vocal tics may include throat-clearing, sniffing/snorting, grunting, or barking.
Treatment of Tourettes Syndrome
After much reading and research in the area of alternative treatment for such neurological disorders as Tourette Syndrome and ADHD, I have become convinced that alternative or holistic treatment does work in some cases.
Over the past 3 years I have received email from many parents claiming good to excellent results using natural remedies to treat their child's Tourette Syndrome and I have read of similar accounts with ADD and ADHD.
Neuroleptics are the most consistently useful medications for tic suppression; a number are available but some are more effective than others (for example, haloperidol and pimozide).
Effective medications are also available to treat some of the associated neurobehavioral disorders that can occur in patients with TS.
Stimulants currently contraindicates the use of these drugs in children with tics/TS and those with a family history of tics.
Serotonin reuptake inhibitors (clomipramine, fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, paroxetine, and sertraline) have been proven effective in some patients.
Other medications may also be useful for reducing tic severity, but most have not been as extensively studied or shown to be as consistently useful as neuroleptics. Additional medications with demonstrated efficacy include alpha-adrenergic agonists such as clonidine and guanfacine.
Psychotherapy can't make Tourette's syndrome disappear, but it can help people learn to cope with the social and emotional problems that often result. Because tics tend to worsen with stress, relaxation techniques can help reduce the frequency and severity of Tourette's symptoms.
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