Clinical characteristics of tic disorders in adolescents at Vietnam National Children’s Hospital

Abstract

This study aims to describe the clinical characteristics of tic disorders in adolescents in Vietnam National Children’s Hospital. This cross-sectional descriptive study involved 57 adolescent patients diagnosed with tic disorders at the Adolescent Health Department of the National Children’s Hospital from December 2020 to March 2024. Males comprised the majority at 89.5%, predominantly in the early adolescence stage (91.2%). The mean age of onset was earliest in the Tourette syndrome group (8.16 ± 3.2 years old) and latest in the transient tic disorder group (11.09 ± 1.3 years old). 32.5% of cases presented with onset factors primarily associated with peer and family relationships. Premonitory signs were evident in 24.6% of cases. Chronic tics were predominant (70.2%) and the most common tic symptoms were eye blinking (50.9%), throat clearing
(28.1%), and shoulder shrugging (21.1%). Most patients exhibited two or more types of tic symptoms, predominantly affecting the head and neck region (96.5%). Research results show that tic disorders are common in boys with the most common symptoms being eye blinking, throat clearing and shoulder shrugging. Symptoms of ticks are often diverse and mainly occur in the head, face and neck area.