Prenatal Smoking: A Risk Factor for Tourette’s?

In a recent study, patients with Tourette’s syndrome were assessed for tic severity, common comorbid disorders—specifically, OCD, ADHD, and self-injurious conduct—and exposure to various prenatal and perinatal events. Prenatal maternal smoking was significantly correlated with increased tic severity and comorbid OCD. Birth weight of Tourette’s syndrome subjects and paternal age were also significantly, but less strongly, correlated with symptom severity. Further, previously identified risk factors, such as hypoxia, hyperemesis during pregnancy, and forceps delivery, showed no correlation with severity of Tourette’s syndrome in subjects assessed. This study was published in the American Journal of Psychiatry. http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/abstract/163/6/1066