Original Article Height Distribution in Children With Tourette Syndrome

Tourette syndrome is characterized by motor and vocal tics, frequently accompanied by attention-deficit hyperactivity dis-order (ADHD), obsessive-compulsive disorder, coprolalia, aggressive or self-injurious behavior, and learning disabilities. We investigated the height distribution and clinical characteristics of 38 consecutive patients with Tourette syndrome. Seventeen patients with Tourette syndrome (44.7%) were in the lower height quartile versus 25 % from a control group of 44 patients with ADHD (P <.05). The mean standard deviation score differential (patient height- [target height]) was-1.12 ± 0.82 for patients in the first quartile (group A) compared with 0.42 ± 0.63 in taller patients with Tourette syndrome (group B) (P <..001). The mean birthweight of boys in group A versus group B was 3023 ± 351 g and 3363 ± 486 g, respec-tively (P <.02); birthweight correlated with standard deviation score (r=.43) Current weight relative to height was normal. Conduct disorder and/or self-injurious behavior were more common in group A patients (P <.05). Relative short stature appears common in Tourette syndrome, and its presence with other features may implicate a neurotransmitter system that interacts with neuroendocrine pathways, controlling height. (J Child Neurol 2002;17:200-204). Tourette syndrome is a neuropsychiatric disorder of child-hood onset, which is characterized by the presence of mul-tiple chronic motor and vocal tics. ’ Despite rigid diagnostic criteria, its clinical course varies in time, and the tics are fre-quently accompanied by other clinical features, which ar