Studies from Baylor College of Medicine add new findings in the area of obsessive-compulsive disorder
2007 NOV 5 -- A new study, 'Malignant Tourette syndrome,' is now available. According to recent research from the United States, "The aim of this work was to draw attention to potentially life-threatening symptoms associated with Tourette syndrome (TS) and to explore their relationship to TS comorbidities. Medical records of all patients with TS evaluated at our Movement Disorders Clinic between July 2003 and July 2006 were reviewed." "Data on patients with malignant TS, defined as >or=2 emergency room (ER) visits or >or=1 hospitalizations for TS symptoms or its associated behavioral comorbidities, were entered into a dataset and analyzed. Five illustrative cases are described. Of 333 TS patients evaluated during the 3-year period, 17 (5.1%) met the criteria for malignant TS. Hospital admission or ER visits were for tic-related injuries, self-injurious behavior (SIB), uncontrollable violence and temper, and suicidal ideation/attempts. Compared with patients with nonmalignant TS, those with malignant TS were significantly more likely to have a personal history of obsessive compulsive behavior/disorder (OCB/OCD), complex phonic tics, coprolalia, copropraxia, SIB, mood disorder, suicidal ideation, and poor response to medications. Although TS is rarely a disabling disorder, about 5% of patients referred to a specialty clinic have life-threatening symptoms. Malignant TS is associated with greater severity of motor symptoms and the presence of >or=2 behavioral comorbidities. OCD/OCB in particular may play a central role in malignant TS; obsessive compulsive qualities were associated with life-threatening tics, SIB, and suicidal ideation," wrote M.Y. Cheung and colleagues, Baylor College of Medicine. The researchers concluded: "Malignant TS is more refractory to medical treatment than nonmalignant TS." Cheung and colleagues published their study in Movement Disorders (Malignant Tourette syndrome. Movement Disorders, 2007;22(12):1743-50). For additional information, contact M.Y. Cheung, Parkinson's Disease Center and Movement Disorders Clinic, Dept. of Neurology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030 USA.. Publisher contact information for the journal Movement Disorders is: Wiley-Liss, Division John Wiley & Sons Inc., 111 River St., Hoboken, NJ 07030, USA. Keywords: United States, Houston, Central Nervous System Disease, Mental Health, Movement Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Tourette Syndrome. This article was prepared by Pain & Central Nervous System Week editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2007, Pain & Central Nervous System Week via NewsRx.com.
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