Incidence of tics in the offspring of childhood tiquers: a controlled follow-up study.
A five-year follow-up study of children whose parents had manifested tic in their childhood was carried out to see if they are more prone to develop tic than control children. The prevalence of tics was 20 per cent in the index group and 10 per cent in the controls, a statistically significant difference. This result could not be explained by the children's imitation of their parents. The mothers of the index children and 1000 unselected mothers were also compared for the prevalence of psychological and psychosomatic symptoms when their children were three years of age. There was no indication that the former were more psychologically distressed. It is suggested that there is a genetic basis for the susceptibility to develop tic.
D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000235:genetics; D011602:Psychophysiologic Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D012737:Sex Factors; D013981:Tic Disorders / Q000235:genetics*