Tourette syndrome is currently diagnosed about three times more frequently in males than in females. A new study finds that female individuals are less likely to be diagnosed with the syndrome, take longer to receive a diagnosis and are older when they are diagnosed than male individuals.
Tourette syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder defined by tics, which are sudden, uncontrollable or partially controllable, repetitive movements and sounds that are typically prompted by an irresistible urge to produce them. The study also looked at persistent motor or vocal tic disorder, defined as either vocal or movement tics, but not both.
Tics must last for at least a year for either disorder to be diagnosed. For the study, researchers analyzed a dataset of people recruited for genetics research with tic disorders and their family members. From the dataset, they identified 2, people with Tourette syndrome and people with persistent motor or vocal tic disorder. The participants were those with tic disorders as well as parents and siblings who were found to have a tic disorder at the time of the screening.
The study found it took a year longer for female participants to be diagnosed with Tourette syndrome than male participants. For female participants, it took an average of three years from when symptoms started to when they were diagnosed, compared to two years for male participants. Female participants were also diagnosed at an older age than male participants, an average of 13 years old versus 11 years old. Female participants also were slightly older when tic symptoms started, an average of 6.
However, for persistent motor or vocal tic disorder, symptoms started earlier in female participants than in male participants, at an average of 7. A limitation of the study is that it mainly involved white participants, so the results may not apply to other groups. Materials provided by American Academy of Neurology. Note: Content may be edited for style and length. Science News. Journal Reference : Marisela E. Dy-Hollins, Lori B. Chibnik, Natasha A. Tracy, Lisa Osiecki, Cathy L.
