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Serum Ferritin Levels Are Lower in Children With Tic Disorders Compared with Children Without Tics: A Cross-Sectional
Matan Avrahami1, Ran Barzilay1,2,3, Miki HarGil2,4
11 Geha Mental Health Center , Petah-Tikva, Israel .
Insights
Children with new-onset tic disorder may have lower iron stores. This study found significantly lower serum ferritin levels in children with tic disorder compared to those with headaches.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurology
- Neurodevelopmental Disorders
- Nutritional Neuroscience
Background:
- Peripheral iron indices alterations are noted in movement disorders like Parkinson's disease.
- Iron deficiency may play a role in the pathophysiology of neurological conditions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if iron stores are diminished in drug-naive children diagnosed with tic disorder.
- To compare serum ferritin levels in children with tic disorder versus a control group.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of electronic medical records.
- Comparison of serum ferritin levels between 47 drug-naive children with new-onset tic disorder and 100 age- and sex-matched children with headaches.
- Inclusion of other hematological parameters like hemoglobin, iron, transferrin, and platelet count.
Main Results:
- Children with tic disorder exhibited significantly lower serum ferritin levels (32% reduction, p=0.01) compared to the headache group.
- No significant differences were observed in hemoglobin, iron, transferrin, or platelet counts between the groups.
Conclusions:
- Findings suggest reduced body iron stores in children experiencing recent-onset tic disorder.
- Further research is warranted to explore the implications of iron status in pediatric tic disorders.
Objectives:
Alteration in peripheral iron indices has been reported in a number of movement disorders, particularly Parkinson's disease. We hypothesized that iron stores may be diminished in children at an early stage of tic disorder.
Methods:
Using data retrieved from electronic medical records, we compared serum ferritin levels, an indicator of body iron store balance, in drug-naive children diagnosed for the first time with tic disorder (study group; N = 47, 32 boys/15 girls, aged 8.66 ± 3.17 years) compared to age- and sex-matched children with headaches (comparison group, n = 100, 62 boys/38 girls, aged 9.51 ± 3.15 years) treated in the same pediatric neurological clinic.
Results:
Mean serum ferritin levels were significantly lower (-32%, p = 0.01) in the tic disorder group compared to the headache group. No significant differences were detected in circulatory hemoglobin, iron, transferrin, and platelet count between the two groups.
Conclusion:
Our findings suggest that body iron stores may be reduced in children with recent-onset tic disorder.
