What is it about?
Gilles de la Tourette Syndrome (TS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by tics that frequently hide complex spectra with behavioral disorders. Medical intervention should rely on multimodal strategies including nutritional assessment and dietetic support as patients can suffer from impulsive eating and the medications often cause metabolic side effects.
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Why is it important?
To date, TS and its related psychiatric implications have no cure, and the main therapeutic goal is to sustain patients’ quality of life. A multidisciplinary treatment with nutritional support is therefore necessary along with specific clinical experience and ongoing adjustments of psychotropic drugs. Therefore, a comprehensive nutritional assessment may be necessary in some complex cases of TS to characterize drug-related metabolic disturbances that vitiate the homeostatic system (orexigenic/anorexigenic signals), alterations of the hedonic brain (rewarding), and impairments of the cognitive brain (impulse control).
Perspectives
An escalated dietetic support should aim at short-term positive outcomes and acceptance whereas long-term scope should provide high adherence to healthy eating habits. Children have an ongoing linear growth therefore the weight loss goal should carefully balance the developmental needs. Family should always be involved in the nutritional counseling of young patients as the bad eating behaviors of relatives could be one of the reasons triggering unhealthy food habits in the child. Parents should be educated on diet, drug-food interactions, and hunger delay techniques.
Dr. M. Briguglio
IRCCS Ospedale Galeazzi - Sant'Ambrogio
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Successful nutrition-based approach in Gilles de la Tourette syndrome heralding drug side effects: A case report and short review, Nutrition Clinique et Métabolisme, July 2021, Elsevier,
DOI: 10.1016/j.nupar.2021.01.111.
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