Clinical differences between subjects with familial and non-familial Tourette's syndrome: a case series

As many as 35 percent of Tourette's Syndrome patients do not acquire this disorder genetically. Since there has been little research conducted in this area, the purpose of this study was to compare the clinical differences between two groups of patients with Tourette's Syndrome (TS), one with family history of TS and one without.

Using data of eight previously diagnosed TS patients, the authors made comparisons of clinical and sociodemographic variables between a group of three patients with family history of TS and five with no family history.

There were no differences in clinical presentation, current age, age at diagnosis, gender, and socioeconomic status. There were differences in birth history, developmental milestones, I.Q., and neurological findings between patients with family history and no family history of TS.

Our findings support the need for testing the hypothesis of a multidetermined origin of TS, a disorder in which hereditary, neuropsychological, and environmental factors play a role.