Tourette Syndrome
Tourette syndrome (TS) is named for the French doctor Georges Gilles de la Tourette, who first described the condition in 1885. It is thought that in most cases it is a genetic condition that's inherited, or passed on from parent to child. Doctors and scientists don't know the exact cause of TS, but some research suggests that it occurs when there's a problem with how nerves communicate in the brain. A disturbance in the balance of neurotransmitters - chemicals in the brain that carry nerve signals from cell to cell - may play a role in TS. Tourette syndrome is not contagious.
Symptoms of Tourette syndrome usually emerge in childhood or in the teenage years. TS isn't common - only one person in every 1,000 to 2,000 people has the condition.
To be diagnosed with Tourette syndrome, a person must have several different types of tics - specifically, multiple motor tics and at least one vocal tic.
Causes
The exact cause of Tourette's is unknown, but it is well established that both genetic and environmental factors are involved.Genetic studies have proved that the overwhelming majority of cases of Tourette's are inherited, although the exact mode of inheritance is not yet known, and no gene has been identified.In some cases, tics may not be inherited; these cases are identified as "sporadic" Tourette syndrome because a genetic link is missing.Medication
The good news for many TS patients is that their tics can often be controlled or minimized by medication. It's important to find a physician that has experience in treating Tourette Syndrome patients when considering any treatment for the disorder, because caution must be taken in determining the proper dosage levels.To date, no one medicine has been initially invented specifically for TS. One recent anomaly occurred in 2000 when Layton Biosciences received FDA approval for a nicotine patch used to treat Tourette Syndrome in combination with traditional drugs used to treat tics (e.g. Haldol).
The primary pharmaceuticals that have been found to minimize tics are normally used to treat other serious illnesses (i.e., high blood pressure). Hence, these drugs can often cause side effects or present risks serious enough to cause some TS patients to opt for living with the tics rather than take medication.