Turret's syndrome is a relatively rare disease, which is accompanied by damage to the central nervous system. It is worth noting that this is a genetic disease, the causes of which are still unknown.
What is Tourette’s syndrome?
This disease was first described not so long ago. The fact is that the main symptoms of the disease are tics, not only muscle, but also vocal. Sick people often simply cannot control their movements and speech. That is why for many years the signs of the disease were considered nothing more than an "obsession with evil spirits."
Only in 1825 was an article published describing the condition of a seven-year-old boy. His unknown illness was accompanied by muscle tics and speech disorders. Since then, an active study of this disease has begun. In 1885, Gilles de la Turrett began to study this problem, in whose honor the syndrome was named. It was he who identified the main symptoms of the disease and made some assumptions about his causes.
Unfortunately, the exact causes of the disease are not yet clear. Scientists are only sure that this is a genetic disease that is activated by malfunctions in the synthesis and metabolism of dopamine.
Tourette's disease: the main symptoms
As already mentioned, this disease is accompanied by vocal and motor tics. Muscular tics can be either simple or complex. Simple, as a rule, are associated with uncontrolled contraction of one muscle group. This can be, for example, frequent blinking, twitching of the shoulders and hands, grimaces on the face, lips stretching into the tube, finger movements, contraction of the abdominal muscles, etc.
Complex ticks can be represented, for example, by bouncing. Sometimes the patient may touch some objects located next to people or his own body. By the way, this symptom can be hazardous to health, as the patient can bite his lips to blood or hit his head against the wall.
As for simple vocal tics, these are basically some kind of extra sounds - during a speech a person can whistle, mumble, cough, etc. In more complex cases, vocal disturbances are represented by whole words or even sentences that are completely inappropriate during a conversation. Unfortunately, the patient has virtually no control over the tick.
Turret's syndrome: diagnosis and treatment
As a rule, the disease is diagnosed at an early age - the child cannot yet restrain the seizures with an effort of will. If you have any suspicions, you should immediately contact a neurologist. The doctor should also assess the stage of the disease, analyzing the frequency and duration of ticks, mental state, ability to adapt in society, as well as a tendency to learn and assimilate information.
Turret's syndrome is a dangerous disease. It is important to consult a specialist on time. In the early stages, drug treatment is not required - only regular classes with a psychotherapist are needed. In more severe cases, patients are prescribed medications that relieve muscle cramps and stop cramps. With prolonged absence of treatment, the development of depressive states is observed - in this case, the patient needs special help.
Today, a surgical treatment technique is being actively developed. During surgery, a special chip is placed in the patient’s brain. Unfortunately, none of the experimental procedures has yet provided a lasting result.
As a rule, Turret’s syndrome with the right treatment does not affect the mental development and life expectancy of the patient.