Anti-inflammatory therapy with a COX-2 inhibitor in Tourette’s syndrome

An infectious/inflammatory process plays a role in at least a subgroup of patients with tics and Tourette’s syndrome (TS). Successful antibiotic therapy and prophylaxis was described repeatedly. We report the case of a patient suffering from chronic TS who was treated with celecoxib additionally to the antibiotic prophylaxis. This treatment was associated with a continous improvement of tics and disturbed behaviour, such as aggression and social withdrawal. The withdrawal of celecoxib led to a marked deterioration in TS symptoms while the re-exposition had advantageous therapeutic effects. This result of the treatment with a COX-2 inhibitor supports the view that COX-2 inhibitors show therapeutic benefit in patients suffering from psychiatric disorders in which an inflammatory process is involved in the pathophysiology.