PROVIDENCE, R.I.--Scientists have developed what could be the first genetic test for a psychiatric illness.
The blood test uses a genetic marker of susceptibility to rheumatic fever to identify children with obsessive-compulsive disorders (OCD) and tic disorders, including Tourette syndrome, associated with strep-throat infections. The test could one day tell families if their children are genetically predisposed to developing the repeated behaviors and involuntary movements and vocalizations connected with OCD and tic disorders.
The blood test's development comes on the heels of findings by the same researchers that some OCD and tic disorders may be triggered by the infectious bacteria that cause strep throats, called Group A beta-hemolytic, and may be treatable with penicillin. Symptoms of OCD and tics, particularly those of Tourette syndrome, a more severe form of tic disorder, are debilitating to children, who may be ostracized by peers, teachers and others.
Susan Swedo, M.D., the study's lead author and head of behavioral pediatrics at the National Institutes of Mental Health, said there is mounting evidence that some mental illnesses are treatable biological disorders. "In psychiatry, this offers a very rare opportunity to catch a disorder early and to treat it aggressively," she said. Swedo urges doctors who examine children exhibiting an abrupt onset of OCD or tic symptoms to check the young people for strep, and if strep is present to treat it with penicillin. In some cases, OCD or tics will abate when a child is treated for strep throat, she said.
The researchers described their trait marker, D8/17, in the January issue of
the American Journal of Psychiatry. Their study involves testing for the
presence of D8/17 in 27 young people with OCD and tics associated with strep,
nine children with Sydenham's chorea, which is a variant of rheumatic fever
characterized by neurological dysfunction, and 24 healthy children. Th
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Contact: Scott Turner
Scott_Turner@Brown.edu
401-863-1862
Brown University
18-Feb-1997