Tourette's syndrome and migraine
G. Barabas, W. S. Matthews and M. Ferrari
Among 60 patients with Tourette's syndrome (TS), whose mean age was 11.9
years, migraine was prevalent in 26.6%. This figure is substantially
greater than that reported for the general population of school-aged
children (4.0% to 7.4%) or for two control groups consisting of children
with seizure disorders (n = 72) and learning disabilities (n = 62). The
prevalence rates for these two control groups were 11.3% and 8.0%,
respectively. The hypothesis is offered that the coexistence of TS and
migraine in a subgroup of children with TS may reflect a similar
abnormality underlying both conditions; specifically, neurohumoral
dysfunction involving serotonin metabolism.
