title: Influence of age and tic disorders on obsessive-compulsive disorder in a pediatric sample.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a heterogeneous disorder with emerging data suggesting that age of onset and/or the presence of tics may define clinically important subgroups.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study set out to evaluate the impact of age and tic disorders on the symptom profile in a pediatric sample of patients with OCD ascertained from a specialty clinic.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighty children with OCD (50 boys, 30 girls) were assessed for symptom type, severity, age of onset, presence of a tic disorder, and functional status. Each child's most impairing obsessions and compulsions were identified and compared by age category (above and below the age of 11 years) and according to the presence or absence of a tic disorder.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age of the sample was 11.1 +/- 3.19 years (range 4-18 years). The most common obsessions reported were contamination and worries about harm. Common compulsions included washing and rituals to prevent harm. The only significant differences across age groups were the percentage of religious worries and slightly higher severity of obsessions in the adolescent age group (p < 0.05). The presence of tics was associated with increased frequency of repetitive behavior unrelated to harm avoidance (p < 0.05). Children without a history of tics were more likely to describe incidents of contamination, washing, and repetitive request for reassurance (p < 0.05 for each).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this convenient sample of clinically ascertained children, there were few phenotypic differences in children above or below the age of 11 years. Differences in the distribution of OCD symptoms according to the presence or absence of tics, which has been documented in adult samples, were evident in this sample.
authors.affiliation: Yale Child Study Center, & Yale School of Nursing, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA. lawrence.scahill@yale.edu
authors.forename: Larry
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Scahill
authors.forename: Yukiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kano
authors.forename: Robert A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: King
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Carlson
authors.forename: Allyson
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Peller
authors.forename: Ursula
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: LeBrun
authors.forename: Maria Conceiao
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Do Rosario-Campos
authors.forename: James F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Leckman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D017668:Age of Onset; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003192:Compulsive Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009770:Obsessive Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000145:classification / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013981:Tic Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D014481:United States