Disease-specific quality of life in young patients with tourette syndrome.

Tourette syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by multiple tics and is often associated with comorbid behavioral problems. Research with generic instruments in child populations showed that comorbid disorders can have a greater impact on health-related quality of life than tic severity. This study investigated the usefulness of a newly developed disease-specific instrument, the Gilles de la Tourette Syndrome-Quality of Life Scale for Children and Adolescents (GTS-QOL-C&A), in assessing health-related quality of life in young patients with Tourette syndrome with and without behavioral comorbidity. We recruited 75 patients with Tourette syndrome (60 males; age 12.4 ± 3.2 years). All participants were evaluated by a neuropsychiatrist and completed a standardized psychometric battery, including the GTS-QOL-C&A, Child Depression Inventory, and Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children. Forty-two patients (56%) fulfilled diagnostic criteria for at least one comorbidity: obsessive-compulsive disorder (n = 25 patients [33.3%]); attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (n = 6 patients [8%]); both (n = 11 patients [14.7%]). The GTS-QOL-C&A demonstrated usefulness in differentiating "pure" Tourette syndrome from Tourette syndrome "plus" behavioral problems with regard to health-related quality of life scores for the obsessive-compulsive subscale. In addition to focusing on core tic symptoms, the GTS-QOL-C&A showed sensitivity to the impact of behavioral comorbidities on health-related quality of life and can usefully complement existing nonspecific instruments. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Citation

Andrea E Cavanna, Chiara Luoni, Claudia Selvini, Rosanna Blangiardo, Clare M Eddy, Paola R Silvestri, Paola V Calì, Emanuela Gagliardi, Umberto Balottin, Francesco Cardona, Renata Rizzo, Cristiano Termine. Disease-specific quality of life in young patients with tourette syndrome. Pediatric neurology. 2013 Feb;48(2):111-4

Mesh Tags

PMID: 23337003

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