Table of Contents What is Tourette Syndrome? Tourette Syndrome Symptoms How are tics classified? Can people with TS control their tics? What causes Tourette Syndrome? Tourette Syndrome - Associated Disorders How is Tourette Syndrome diagnosed? How is Tourette Syndrome treated? Is Tourette Syndrome inherited? Tourette Syndrome Prognosis Tourette Syndrome - Educational Setting Tourette Syndrome Research Keeping on Top of Your Condition

Tourette Syndrome Information

Tourette syndrome (TS) is an inherited, neurological disorder characterized by multiple involuntary movements and uncontrollable vocalizations called tics that come and go over years. In a few cases, such tics can include inappropriate words and phrases.

The disorder is named for Dr. Georges Gilles de la Tourette, the pioneering French neurologist who first described an 86-year-old French noblewoman with the condition in 1885.

The symptoms of Tourette Syndrome generally appear before the individual is 18 years old. Tourette Syndrome can affect people of all ethnic groups; males are affected 3 to 4 times more often than females. It is estimated that 100,000 Americans have full-blown Tourette Syndrome, and that perhaps as many as 1 in 200 show a partial expression of the disorder, such as chronic multiple tics or transient childhood tics.

The natural course of Tourette Syndrome varies from patient to patient. Although symptoms range from very mild to quite severe, the majority of cases fall in the mild category.