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The Prevalence of Tic Disorder in Primary School Children in an Electoral District of Mauritius



Author(s)

Vinu Sharma Chummun, Vanisha Seetaram and Hugh Rickards

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DOI:10.17265/1548-6648/2016.01.002

Most tic disorder studies have been conducted in countries in the northern hemisphere. So far, there are only 3 studies that have been done in the southern hemisphere countries and they were directed at Tourette syndrome explicitly. This study is the first to examine the prevalence of all tic disorders in the southern hemisphere. Screening questionnaires were sent to all the children in standard 4 to 6 (9-11 years of age—a total of 2003) in the 8 schools of a discrete geographical area. The “tic positive” patients were interviewed and diagnoses were ascertained in accordance with the DSM-IV-TR criteria. Out of the 1287 children screened, 53 (35 males, 18 females) were diagnosed with a tic disorder yielding a prevalence of 4.1%. 8 children (7 males and 1 female) fulfilled the criteria for Tourette Disorder (0.6%). Another 0.8% had chronic tic disorder (6 boys and 4 girls). The majority of people with tics had transient tic disorder at 2.5% with a male to female ratio of 19 to 13, respectively. The distribution of non-specific tic disorder was 0.2% (3 males). Tic disorder estimates were congruent with studies performed in the northern hemisphere. 

Tic, tourette, prevalence, epidemiology, children.