Objective: Our aim was to assess Quality of Life (QoL) in a sample of children assessed at two different time points, investigate the change of the QoL over time and compare the QoL in children with tic disorders (TD) with a control group without tics.

Background: TD are characterized by tics and neuropsychiatric comorbidities. Little is known about the QoL of children with TD, how it changes over time and whether it is influenced mainly by the tics or the comorbidities.

Methods: Observational study of mainstream schoolchildren, comparing QoL in students with tics ever vs. tics never (based on DSM-IV-TR criteria) in 2008 and 2014. The QoL was assessed using the self-administered PEDS-QL4, which is composed of a motor, psychosocial, and total score. Neuropsychiatric comorbidities were screened using the Children Predictive Scales (DPS). Two-sample t and Mann-Whitney U tests were performed to compare QoL and comorbidity scores between the two groups.

Results: This cohort of children with recorded QoL scores consisted of 28 children with tics ever and 26 children of tics never in 2008 and 32 and 71 respectively in 2014. There was no difference in the QoL total, physical and psychological scores, between the two groups in 2008. During the 2014 reassessment, the children with tics had worse total QoL score (p=0.04) and psychosocial score (p=0.004), with higher neuropsychiatric comorbidities and related disability (p= 0.04 and 0.03, respectively) compared to those without tics.

Conclusions: Children with TD have worse QoL and neuropsychiatric comorbidities compared to children without tics as they grow up, especially in the psychosocial domain.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/quality-of-life-in-tic-disorders-an-observational-mainstream-school-based-population-study-over-time/