title: Sleep disorders in Tourette syndrome: a primary or unrelated problem?
abstract: Sleep disturbances are a common complaint in children with either Tourette syndrome (TS) or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Because a significant number of individuals with TS also have ADHD, we attempted to determine whether sleep difficulties reported in TS are a primary problem or are related to the co-occurrence of ADHD. Using a parent-completed sleep questionnaire, data were collected on boys, ages 7-14 years. Three groups, TS-only (N = 57), ADHD-only (N = 21), and TS+ADHD (N = 89), were compared to an age-matched control population (N = 146). The complaint of "poor sleep" occurred in 26% with TS-only, 48% with ADHD-only, and 41% with TS+ADHD; all were significantly different from 10% found in controls. Of 19 sleep questionnaire items, the incidence of problems occurred statistically more frequently in 5 of 19 for the TS-only group, in 6 of 19 for the ADHD-only group, and in 17 of 19 for the TS+ADHD group. Boys with TS+ADHD had many sleep problems which appeared to be related to an arousal disorder. Although the use of medications, especially stimulants and anti-depressants, were different between the TS-only and TS+ADHD groups, this factor did not account for the large discrepancies in sleep disturbance. In boys with TS, sleep problems usually occurred with the co-morbid feature ADHD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: R P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Allen
authors.forename: H S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Singer
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Salam
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001143:Arousal / Q000187:drug effects; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D004325:Dreams / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012307:Risk Factors; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D005879:Tourette Syndrome / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology
chemical_list: D011619:Psychotropic Drugs