Insomnia in Tourette Syndrome and Chronic Tic Disorder

Insomnia is common in Tourette syndrome (TS) and chronic tic disorder (CTD), but precise prevalence estimates are lacking.

In this Swedish register-based cohort study, we estimated the prevalence of insomnia in TS/CTD and quantified the magnitude of this association, accounting for familial confounders and relevant somatic and psychiatric comorbidities.

Of 10,444,702 individuals living in Sweden during the period from 1997 to 2013, 5877 had a diagnosis of TS/CTD and were compared to unexposed individuals from the general population on the presence of insomnia using logistic regression models.

Individuals with TS/CTD had a period prevalence of insomnia of 32.16%, compared to 13.70% of the unexposed population. This translated into a 6.7-fold increased likelihood of insomnia in TS/CTD (odds ratio adjusted [aOR] for sex, birth year, birth country, and somatic disorders = 6.74; 95% confidence interval [CI], 6.37-7.15). A full sibling comparison, designed to adjust for shared familial factors, attenuated the estimates (aOR = 5.41; 95% CI, 4.65-6.30). When individuals with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and pervasive developmental disorders were excluded, the association was also attenuated, whereas exclusion of other psychiatric comorbidities had minimal impact. Having persistent TS/CTD, comorbid ADHD, and taking ADHD medication greatly increased the likelihood of insomnia.

Insomnia is significantly associated with TS/CTD, independently from somatic disorders, familial factors or psychiatric comorbidities, although familial factors, neurodevelopmental comorbidities, and ADHD/ADHD medication may explain part of the association. Insomnia should be routinely assessed and managed in TS/CTD, particularly in chronic patients and in those with comorbid ADHD. Other sleep disorders require further study. © 2021 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.