J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci 1990; 2:275-281
Copyright © 1990 by American Neuropsychiatric Association
A survey of Tourette syndrome patients and their families: the 1987 Ohio Tourette Survey
RA Bornstein, ME Stefl and L Hammond
Tourette Laboratory, Ohio State University, Columbus 43210.
A large sample of patients (N = 763) with Tourette syndrome (TS) responded
to a questionnaire dealing primarily with symptoms, treatment history, and
associated disorders. The shrinking duration between symptom onset and
diagnostic confirmation confirms that diagnostic awareness of TS is
increasing. A significant proportion of the sample identified several
common factors that occurred in the year before symptom onset. A
significantly lower proportion of subjects whose initial symptoms included
facial tics reported a positive response to haloperidol. Obsessive
characteristics were associated with age and were more common in females.
Patients with attention deficit disorder (ADD) had earlier age at onset of
TS symptoms and were diagnosed earlier than patients without ADD. In
general the data provide some support for a stress-diathesis model and also
support previous suggestions about the genetics of Tourette syndrome and
related conditions.
