Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Tourette Syndrome Prevalence; 1986 to 2022

• Published in: Pediatric neurology Vol. 137; pp. 6 - 16
• Main Authors: Jafari, Faranak, Abbasi, Parvin, Rahmati, Mahmood, Hodhodi, Tahereh, Kazeminia, Mohsen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01-12-2022
• Subjects: Adolescent; Child; Humans; Male; Prevalence; Tics; Tourette Syndrome - epidemiology; Systematic review; Prevalence; Tourette syndrome; Meta-analysis
• ISSN: 0887-8994; 1873-5150
• DOI: 10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2022.08.010

Tourette syndrome (TS) is a disorder characterized by a history of multiple motor tics and the emergence of at least one vocal tic during a period of the disorder. The current investigation sought to clarify the prevalence statistics for TS using a systematic review and meta-analysis.
This systematic review and meta-analysis covered the period between 1986 and 2022. Embase, Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar were searched to locate articles pertinent to the study topic. The I
index was used to examine the heterogeneity of the studies, and a comprehensive meta-analysis was employed to analyze the data.
Ultimately, 30 studies (39 outcomes) were included in the meta-analysis and systematic review. The results showed the global prevalence of TS to be 0.5% (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.3% to 0.8%), with the highest rate of spread observed in the Americas at 0.6% (95% CI, 0.2% to 1.6 %). Analyzing the subgroups of the sample revealed that the highest prevalence was associated with the population of children and adolescents at 0.7% (95% CI, 0.4% to 1.4%) and males at 0.5% (95% CI, 0.2% to 1.0%).
This comprehensive review and meta-analysis revealed that the prevalence of TS worldwide is sufficiently high, such that attention of medical specialists and health policy makers is warranted.