Gilles De La Tourette Syndrome: A Case and A Brief Review of the Early Documentation of the Syndrome in The Literature

Abstract

Background: Gilles de la Tourette syndrome is a neuro-psychiatric condition associated with rather bizarre manifestations and generally affects children with normal intelligence. The condition has the potential to make an intelligent child a victim of the disorder, and unfavorably affects his/her school performance and lead to social rejection and isolation. Awareness by the community, educators, and also medical practitioners is useful and help in avoiding the loss of such children who have the potential to be a talented person. The aim of this paper is to present a case and to provide a brief account on the early documentation of syndrome in the literature. Patients and Methods: The case of a ten-year old boy with Gilles de la Tourette syndrome is described and the relevant literatures were reviewed to outline the early documentation of the disorder in the literature. Results: A.Y was first seen at the pediatric psychiatric clinic of the Children Teaching Hospital of Baghdad Medical City at the age of ten years because they were saying at school that the boy is crazy because of his abnormal behaviors. The boy’s abnormal behaviors mentioned by his mother included shrugging his shoulders, shrugging his hips with unusual movements of the legs as if he was dancing, unusual facial grimace and lip licking, rubbing his chin, licking the back of his hand, producing abnormal sounds from his throat, and echolalia. Review of the earliest relevant literature revealed that the condition was first described in a book entitled “Malleus Maleficarum” which means “Witch’s hammer”. Jean Marc Gaspard Itard, a French doctor described the first case of Tourette syndrome in 1825. Conclusion: Awareness of this condition by the community, educators, and also medical practitioners is useful and help in avoiding the loss of such children who have the potential to be a talented person.