The prevalence is estimated at 1/2,000. Neurological disease of unknown cause (malfunction of the basal ganglia ?) with a genetic component but significantly influenced by environmental factors (stress, immune reactions, perinatal events, toxic factors). Boys are  more often affected than girls. 

It is characterized by involuntary, sudden and brief tics which are either: 

-          motor: simple (eye blinking, head or face movements, shrugging) or complex movements (echopraxia: imitation of the movements made by someone else; copropraxia: obscene gestures)

-        or acoustic: simple (sniffing, throat clearing, grunting, tongue clicking) or complex vocalizations (echolalia, palilalia: repetition of words or syllables repetition)

Other behavioural problems are frequently present: Obsessional compulsive disorders (OCD), panic or rage attacks, sleep disorders, hyperactivity with attention deficit. Often: learning disorders of writing and reading.

It seems to be associated with an increased risk of criminal behavior.

Onset in childhood. Frequent improvement at puberty.

Treatment: mild tics: clonidine, clonazepam. Severe tics: haloperidol, pimozide, and risperidone.

Anesthetic implications: 

behavioral disorders, drug interactions (according to treatment

References : 

-        Mataix-Cols D,Virtanen S, Sidorchuk A, Fernandez de la Cruz L, Larsson H, Lichtenstein P, Latvala A.
Association of Tourette Syndrome and Chronic Tic Disorder with violent assault and criminal convictions.
JAMA Neurology 2022 doi:10.1001/jamaneurol.2022.0167

Updated: March 2022