Identifying and managing Tourette syndrome

Abstract

Tourette syndrome, also known as Tourette's disorder or simply Tourette's, is a commonly inherited neurological movement disorder. Tourette syndrome is named after the French neurologist George Gilles de la Tourette, who first reported the condition in 1885 (Kenney et al, 2008). The disorder is defined as a chronic idiopathic syndrome with motor and vocal tics beginning before adulthood. Although Tourette syndrome is defined as part of a spectrum of tic disorders, Tourette syndrome is the most common cause of tics (Bloch, 2008). The disorder affects one child in every hundred and more than 300 000 children and adults in the UK. Research indicates that boys are affected two to four times more than girls (Rinder, 2007). The incidence peaks around pre-adolescence, with one half of cases resolving in early adulthood.