Gilles de la Tourette's Syndrome and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

TLDR

Previous studies have suggested that obsessive‑compulsive symptoms frequently occur among patients with Gilles de la Tourette's syndrome (TS). The study examined the relationship between TS and OCD by interviewing all first‑degree relatives of TS probands. The semistructured interview collected data on TS, other tic disorders, and neuropsychiatric illnesses across the lifetime of each relative. OCD rates were significantly higher among first‑degree relatives of TS probands than in the general population or adoptive controls, while TS, OCD, and chronic multiple tic rates were similar in families of probands with or without OCD, and OCD without TS or CMT was also elevated, suggesting OCD may be an alternative expression of TS/CMT‑related factors.

Abstract

• Previous studies have suggested that obsessive-compulsive symptoms frequently occur among patients with Gilles de la Tourette's syndrome (TS). To examine the relationship between TS and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), data from all first-degree relatives of TS probands were obtained with a semistructured interview designed to collect information on the presence of TS, other tic disorders, and neuropsychiatric illnesses during the lifetime of the individual. The rate of OCD among first-degree relatives was significantly increased over estimates from the general population and a control sample of adoptive relatives. The rates of TS, OCD, and chronic multiple tics (CMT) were virtually the same in families of probands with OCD (TS ± OCD) when compared with families of probands without OCD (TS-OCD). Finally, the frequency of OCD without TS or CMT among first-degree relatives was significantly elevated in families of both TS + OCD and TS-OCD probands, suggesting that some forms of OCD may represent an alternative expression of the factors responsible for TS and/or CMT.