Exploring the Complex Associations Between Prenatal and Early-Life Infections and Obsessive-Compulsive and Tic-Related Disorders

Abstract

An association between rheumatic fever and chorea was first posited at the beginning of the 19th century, but it was not until the mid–19th century that these observations crystalized into a widely accepted understanding that rheumatism caused Sydenham chorea ( 1 Martino D. Tanner A. Defazio G. Church A.J. Bhatia K.P. Giovannoni G. Dale R.C. Tracing Sydenham’s chorea: Historical documents from a British paediatric hospital. Arch Dis Child. 2005; 90: 507-511 Crossref PubMed Scopus (13) Google Scholar ). Advances in diagnostic methods, including the use of the stethoscope to detect cardiac manifestations of rheumatic fever, partially explain this discovery. However, perhaps an even more significant factor was the gradual shift during this period in the locus of medical care from the home to specialized centers, such as children’s hospitals, which led to case-based registries ( 1 Martino D. Tanner A. Defazio G. Church A.J. Bhatia K.P. Giovannoni G. Dale R.C. Tracing Sydenham’s chorea: Historical documents from a British paediatric hospital. Arch Dis Child. 2005; 90: 507-511 Crossref PubMed Scopus (13) Google Scholar ). It was from examination of these registries that British researchers were initially able to show a temporal relationship between seasonal spikes in rheumatic fever and chorea in children. SEE CORRESPONDING ARTICLE ON PAGE 1023 SEE CORRESPONDING ARTICLE ON PAGE 1023 Prenatal and Early Childhood Infections and Subsequent Risk of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Tic Disorders: A Nationwide, Sibling-Controlled StudyBiological PsychiatryVol. 93Issue 11PreviewPostinfectious autoimmune processes are hypothesized to be causally related to both obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and tic disorders, but current evidence is conflicting. This study examined whether prenatal maternal (and paternal, as an internal control) infections and early childhood infections in the offspring (i.e., during the first 3 years of life) were associated with a subsequent risk of OCD and Tourette syndrome or chronic tic disorder (TS/CTD). Full-Text PDF Open Access