Epidemiological Survey of Tourette Syndrome in Children and Adolescents in Wenzhou of P.R. China

• DOI: 10.1007/s10654-005-2953-z
• Publication Date: 2005-11-11T17:45:32Z
• Authors: Rong Jin; Rong-yuan Zheng; Wen-wu Huang; Hui-qin Xu; Bei Shao; Hong Chen; Liang Feng
• Keywords: Prevalence; Stratified Sampling; Cross-sectional study

An epidemiological survey on Tourette syndrome (TS) in a developing country is relatively scarce. This study was conducted to investigate the prevalence and distribution of TS in children and juveniles aged 7-16 years in Wenzhou of P.R. China. A total of 9742 children and adolescents were included in this survey. Cross-sectional study with stratified-cluster sampling method was used. The prevalence of TS among school-age children was estimated to be an average of 0.43%. The ratio of male to female was 10.6 to 1 (0.74% for males and 0.07% for females). Pupils in the age range of 7-16 years are more likely to have comorbid disorders. The mean age at onset of TS was 7.7+/-2.7 years, with 45.2% of them at the age of 6-7. The rate of delayed diagnosis, misdiagnosis and misclassification of the syndrome were 78.6, 42.9 and 23.8%, respectively. This survey supports that TS is a common disease prevalent amongst children and juveniles in Wenzhou area of P.R. China, and its incidence was correlated with age and sex and often misdiagnosed and misclassified.