Gilles de la Tourette's syndrome and its impact in the UK.

Tourette Syndrome (UK) Association, Atkinson Morley's Wing, St George's Hospital, Blackshaw Road, London SW17 0QT, UK. jeremy.stern@stgeorges.nhs.uk

Gilles de la Tourette's syndrome of chronic multiple motor and vocal tics is now acknowledged to be far more common than once thought, affecting up to 1% of schoolchildren with a wide range of severity. At the milder end of the spectrum the associated psychopathologies can in themselves impair social and educational functioning, in particular obsessive compulsive disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Many patients with this condition are not being adequately served by health and education services in the UK. The epidemiology, clinical features, aetiological factors, and management of the syndrome are reviewed.

PMID: 15640424 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

PMCID: PMC1743178