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Sex Disparities Identified in Natural History of Tourette Syndrome

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Jan 16, 2025.

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 15, 2025 -- Females with Tourette syndrome (TS) are less likely than males to be formally diagnosed, with symptom onset and diagnosis occurring at a later age for females, according to a study published online Jan. 15 in Neurology.

Marisela E. Dy-Hollins, M.D., from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and colleagues examined the relationship between sex and clinical measures in 2,403 participants (2,109 with TS and 294 with persistent motor or vocal tic disorders [PMVT]) from the Tourette Association of America International Consortium for Genetics dataset.

The researchers found that compared with males, female participants with TS had 0.46 times lower odds of being formally diagnosed clinically with TS before the research study, and they had a later age at symptom onset, later age at diagnosis, longer time to diagnosis, and lower tic severity. Earlier age at onset was seen for female versus male participants with PMVT.

"We demonstrated sex disparities in diagnosis of TS and sex differences in individuals with TS/PMVT," the authors write. "Because results may not be generalizable across all patients (including lack of diversity), future research efforts are focused on examining sex and gender as well as racial and ethnic differences in larger administrative datasets for TS/PMVT."

Two authors disclosed ties to the publishing industry.

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Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

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Posted January 2025

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