LONDON, Oct 2, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- British researchers say streptococcal
infection does not seem to trigger Tourette's or obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Tourette syndrome is a neurologic disorder characterized by repetitive,
involuntary sounds and movements called tics. OCD is an anxiety disorder
characterized by unwanted thoughts or obsessions and repetitive behaviors
"These results do not confirm other, smaller studies done in the United States,
which found an association between strep infection and these brain disorders,"
study author Dr. Anette Schrag of the University College London said in a
statement. "Streptococcal infection has previously also been linked to other,
much rarer neuropsychiatric disorders."
The researchers looked at strep infection in a group of 255 people between the
ages of 2-25 from a large, unselective population in Britain -- of whom 129 were
diagnosed with OCD and 126 with Tourette syndrome and two groups with 4,519
people of similar ages without these disorders.
The study, published in the online issue of Neurology, found similar rates of
strep exposure for all of the groups and concluded those with OCD or Tourettes
were no more likely to have had possible strep infections than those without
these disorders.
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