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SIDS and tourette syndrome: Is there an etiologic relationship?

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Abstract

SIDS has been repeatedly linked to the presence of prolonged sleep apnea and defective arousal mechanisms. Multiple cases of SIDS may occur in some families, and siblings of SIDS infants are at a 3 to 10 times greater risk of SIDS than the general population. This suggests genetic factors can play a role. Sleep laboratory studies of adults with Tourette syndrome (TS) show that 23% have sleep apnea and 29% have abnormal arousals. Disorders of arousal such as enuresis, sleep walking, sleep talking, and night terrors are common in children with TS. We report seven TS families in which one or more close relatives died of SIDS, or had apparent life-threatening episode (ALTE) and required apnea monitoring. Serotonin is the major neurotransmitter involved in sleep regulation and abnormalities of serotonin have been implicated in both SIDS and TS. These and other observations suggest that the Tourette syndrome gene (Gts) may be the genetic factor contributing to an increased risk of SIDS.

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  1. Department of Medical Genetics, City of Hope Medical Center, 91010, Duarte, California

    David E. Comings & Brenda G. Comings

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  1. David E. Comings
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Comings, D.E., Comings, B.G. SIDS and tourette syndrome: Is there an etiologic relationship?. J Dev Phys Disabil 5, 265–279 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01047068

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