Outcome in Pediatric Functional Tic Disorders Diagnosed During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Pediatrics
• Psychiatry

Background:

• Pediatric functional tics increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Prognosis for these cases remains poorly understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the clinical course of pediatric functional tics diagnosed during the pandemic.
• To identify factors influencing the prognosis of functional tics.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of 29 pediatric patients diagnosed with functional tics (March 2020-December 2021).
• Assessment of Clinical Global Impression-Improvement (CGI-I) scores and telephone interviews with 20 dyads.
• Logistic regression analysis to identify predictors of clinical outcomes.

Main Results:

• 82% of patients reported improvement, with a median CGI-I score of 2 (much improved).
• Median time to diagnosis was 197 days; symptom reduction occurred within 21 days post-diagnosis.
• Greater age and longer time to diagnosis were associated with decreased odds of improvement within one month.

Conclusions:

• Most pediatric functional tics cases showed improvement but not full resolution after diagnosis.
• Early diagnosis appears critical for improving functional tic symptoms in children.