Symptoms:

Most people with Tourette syndrome first notice symptoms during childhood, between ages 7 and 10.

The most common first symptom is a tic of the face, but other tics may follow. A tic is a sudden, fast, repeated movement or sound.

Symptoms of Tourette syndrome can range from tiny, minor movements (such as grunts, sniffling, or coughing) to constant movements and sounds that can't be controlled.

Tics can include:

• Arm thrusting
• Eye blinking
• Jumping
• Kicking
• Repeated throat clearing or sniffing
• Shoulder shrugging

Tics may occur many times a day, but they tend to improve or get worse at different times. The tics may change with time. Symptoms usually get worse before the mid-teen years.

Contrary to popular belief, only a small number of patients use curse words or other inappropriate words or phrases (coprolalia).

Tourette syndrome is different from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). People with OCD feel as though they have to do the behaviors.

Many people with Tourette syndrome can stop doing the tic for periods of time. However, they find that the tic is stronger for a few minutes after they allow it to start again. Often the tic slows or stops during sleep.

Signs and tests:

There are no lab tests to diagnose Tourette syndrome. However, a health care provider should do an examination to rule out other causes of the symptoms.

To be diagnosed with Tourette syndrome, a person must:

• Have had many motor tics and one or more vocal tics, although these tics may not have occurred at the same time
• Have tics that occur many times a day, nearly every day or on and off, for a period of more than 1 year. During this period, there must not have been a tic-free period of more than 3 months in a row.
• Have started the tics before age 18
• Have no other brain problem that could be a likely cause of the symptoms