Transient tic disorder is a temporary condition in which a person makes one or many brief, repeated, difficult to control movements or noises (tics).
Alternative Names
Tic - transient tic disorder
Causes, incidence, and risk factors
Transient tic disorder is common in children.
The cause of transient tic disorder can be physical or mental (psychological). It may be a mild form of Tourette syndrome.
Symptoms
The child may have facial tics or tics involving movement of the arms, legs, or other areas.
Tics may involve:
Movements that occur again and again and do not have a rhythm
An overwhelming urge to make the movement
Brief and jerky movements that include the following:
Blinking
Clenching the fists
Curling the toes
Flaring the nostrils
Grimacing
Jerking the arms
Kicking
Opening the mouth
Raising the eyebrows
Shrugging the shoulders
Sticking out the tongue
The tics often look like nervous behavior. Tics appear to get worse with stress and do not occur during sleep.
Sounds may also occur, such as:
Clicking
Grunting
Hissing
Moaning
Sniffing
Snorting
Squealing
Throat clearing
Signs and tests
The health care provider should consider physical causes of transient tic disorder before making a diagnosis.
In order to be diagnosed with transient tic disorder, the child must have had tics almost every day for at least 4 weeks, but less than a year.
Other disorders such as anxiety, attention deficit disorder, myoclonus, obsessive-compulsive disorder, epilepsy, and focal dystonia, may need to be ruled out.
Treatment
Health care providers recommend that family members do NOT call attention to the tics at first, because unwanted attention may make the tics worse. If tics are severe enough to cause problems in school or work, behavioral techniques and medications may help.
Expectations (prognosis)
Simple childhood tics usually disappear over a period of months.
Talk to your health care provider if you are concerned about a transient tic disorder, especially if it continues or disrupts your child's life. If you are not sure whether the movements are a tic or a seizure, call your health care provider right away.
References
Jankovic J, Lang AE. Movement disorders. In: Daroff RB, Fenichel GM, Jankovic J, Mazziotta JC. Bradley’s Neurology in Clinical Practice. 6th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Saunders; 2012:chap 21.
Ryan CA, Gosselin GJ, DeMaso DR. Habit and tic disorders. In: Kliegman RM, Stanton BF, St. Geme JW III, et al., eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 19th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Saunders; 2011:chap 22.
Review Date:
2/27/2013
Reviewed By:
Luc Jasmin, MD, PhD, Department of Neurosurgery, Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles and Department of Anatomy, University of California, San Francisco, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by A.D.A.M. Health Solutions, Ebix, Inc., Editorial Team: David Zieve, MD, MHA, Bethanne Black, Stephanie Slon, and Nissi Wang.
