Epidemiology and progression

Tourette syndrome is thought to occur in around 1% of people worldwide. Motor and transient tics are significantly more common. It is assumed that around 10-15% of all primary school pupils experience tics at some point. For unexplained reasons, Tourette's syndrome occurs about four times more frequently in boys and men than in girls and women.

Tics begin on average at primary school age between 6 and 8 years. If they occur for the first time in adulthood, a symptomatic cause should be considered first, even if experts agree that a tic disorder can very rarely begin after the age of 18. There is no correlation between the age of onset and the severity of the tic. In the majority of cases, the onset is gradual. Motor tics occur on average two to three years earlier than vocal tics.

On average, tics are most severe between the ages of 10 and 12. In the further course, more than 95% of patients experience a spontaneous improvement, so that the course of a tic disorder - and also of Tourette's syndrome - is predominantly benign. Severe courses with extremely severe tics are rare. The course is characterized by spontaneous fluctuations in the type and severity of the tics. In most sufferers, tics increase with tension, stress, restlessness, joy and boredom and subside with rest, relaxation and concentration. Sometimes tics can be triggered by external stimuli. Tics have no influence on life expectancy.

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