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Tourette syndrome — also called Tourette's syndrome, Tourette Spectrum
(TS), Tourette's disorder, or Gilles de la Tourette syndrome (after its discoverer,
Georges Gilles de la Tourette) — is a neurological or neurochemical disorder characterized by tics — involuntary, rapid, sudden movements or vocalizations that occur repeatedly in the same way. Symptoms
include multiple motor and one or more vocal tics present at some time during the disorder although not necessarily
simultaneously; the occurrence of tics many times a day (usually in bouts) nearly every day or intermittently throughout a span
of more than one year; the periodic change in the number, frequency, type and location of the tics, and in the waxing and waning
of their severity; symptoms disappearing for weeks or months at a time; and onset before the age of 18. Vocal tics may fall into
various categories, including echolalia (the urge to repeat words spoken by someone else after being heard by the person
with the disorder), palilalia (the urge to repeat one's own previously spoken words), lexilalia (the urge to
repeat words after reading them) and, most controversially, coprolalia (the spontaneous utterance of socially
objectionable words, such as obscenities and racial or ethnic slurs).
The term "involuntary" used to describe TS tics is a source of confusion since it is known that most people with TS do have
some control over the symptoms. What is recognized is that the control which can be exerted from seconds to hours at a time may
merely postpone more severe outbursts of symptoms. Tics are experienced as irresistible as the urge to sneeze and must eventually
be expressed. People with TS often seek a secluded spot to release their symptoms after delaying them in school or at work.
Typically, tics increase as a result of tension or stress (but are not caused by stress) and decrease with relaxation or concentration on an absorbing task.
Individuals not only struggle with the condition itself, they must bear the double burden of the stigma attached.
Treatment
The majority of people with TS require no medication, but medication is available to help when symptoms interfere with
functioning. TS medications are only able to help reduce specific symptoms. Neuroleptic and antihypertensive drugs can have long-
and short-term side effects, and use of stimulants is controversial. Relaxation techniques and biofeedback may be useful in alleviating stress.
Till 2004, there wasn't a cure for TS. However, doctors in the US successfully carried out a brain surgery in Feb 2004, in
which tiny electrodes powered by batteries inserted in the chest, were placed besides the thalamus in each cerebral hemisphere. Within
half a minute of activating the electrodes, the patient could walk normally and displayed a complete lack of symptoms. In any
case, the condition in many individuals improves as they mature. Individuals with TS can expect to live a normal life span.
Although TS is generally lifelong and chronic, it is not degenerative. In a few cases, complete remission occurs after
adolescence, and in many cases total remission occurs after the age of 40.
Genetics
Genetic studies indicate tic disorders, including TS, are inherited as a dominant gene(s) that may produce varying symptoms in different family members. A person with TS has about a
50% chance of passing the gene(s) to one of his/her children. However, the gene(s) may express as TS, as a milder tic disorder,
or as obsessive compulsive symptoms with no tics at all. It is known that a higher than usual incidence of milder tic disorders
and obsessive compulsive behaviours are more common in the
families of TS patients. The sex of the child also influences the expression of the gene(s). The chance that the child of a
person with TS will have the disorder is at least three times higher for a son than for a daughter. Yet only a minority of the
children who inherit the gene(s) will have symptoms severe enough to ever require medical attention. In some cases, TS may not be
inherited; these cases are identified as "sporadic" TS because a genetic link cannot be found.
Alternative medicine
Alternative medicine tends to hold the view that TS is
caused by yeast infections and mercury poisoning (see gluten-free, casein-free diet).
References
External links
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