Summaries of Must-Read Clinical Literature, Guidelines, and FDA Actions
Tic Disorders, Tourette, & Premature Death Risk
Mov Disord; ePub 2017 Mar 24; Meier, et al
The risk of premature death was higher among individuals with tic disorders (mortality rate ratio, 2.02) and with Tourette syndrome (mortality rate ratio, 1.63) compared with controls, according to a recent study. To date, few studies have investigated mortality risk in individuals with tic disorders. Researchers measured the risk of premature death in individuals with tic disorders and with Tourette syndrome in a prospective, nationwide, cohort study with 80 million person-years of follow-up. They estimated mortality rate ratios and adjusted for calendar year, age, sex, urbanicity, maternal and paternal age, and psychiatric disorders to compare individuals with and without tic disorders They found:
- After the exclusion of individuals with comorbid attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and substance abuse, tic disorder remained associated with increased mortality risk, as did Tourette syndrome.
- These results are of clinical significance for clinicians and advocacy organizations.
Meier SM, Dalsgaard S, Mortensen PB, Leckman JF, Plessen KJ. Mortality risk in a nationwide cohort of individuals with tic disorders and with Tourette syndrome. [Published online ahead of print March 24, 2017]. Mov Disord. doi:10.1002/mds.26939.