HHS HealthBeat (July 28, 2009)

Spotting Tourette’s early

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

Tourette’s syndrome includes tics like eye blinking, neck jerking, grimacing and sudden vocal outbursts. The condition begins in childhood, but parents might not realize what it is.

At the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Rebecca Bitsko says about 148,000 U.S. children had diagnosed Tourette’s in 2007. However, she says there is evidence suggesting that more children have the condition but are not diagnosed:

[Rebecca Bitsko speaks] ``Early identification and diagnosis allow for the family to understand the child’s symptoms, and also for the child to receive appropriate treatment.’’

Bitsko’s study found 4 out of 5 children with Tourette’s had another condition, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or ADHD.

The study is in CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Learn more at hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: July, 28 2009