Tics: What They Hide and What Danger They Pose to Health

Quick, frequent blinking, red nails, gnashing of teeth, redness of the heads in pencils and pens, sudden kicking or shaking of the feet while walking, sudden stops while walking, sudden emission of inarticulate sounds (barking, whistling, etc.)… If you have experienced similar symptoms, the following article will help you.

What is a tic?

A tic is a psycho-motor disorder of a neurotic nature. A type of dyskinesia is an involuntary movement of the body or a repetitive vocal sound, fast and sudden. It has a stereotypical character, but non-irritating occurs at variable intervals and intensities.

The tic patient feels uncontrolled but may stop moving or making noise for a limited time.

For example, try not to blink for 15 minutes. To begin with, control of this automatic gesture is easy to accomplish, but after a while, you give in and return to blinking.

Tics generally appear around the age of 6–8 (very rarely in younger children), in adulthood, and even in the elderly.

Whether we are talking about red nails or blinking often, experts say that tics do not appear by chance. Usually, behind the tics lies an emotional problem or, in the worst cases, a medical one.

Causes of tics

The appearance of tics is related to experiencing a tense, disturbing, or emotionally difficult state. Behind the tic, most of the time, there is an emotional problem.

The person represses an inner state through this gesture.

The exact causes are still unknown. Although there is a known genetic predisposition and some biochemical changes in the brain.

They can also be caused by stressful situations or certain medications. In some cases, past or recent brain infections (encephalitis) may be responsible. Genetic and dysmetabolic diseases, mainly those that affect the basal ganglia, can manifest tics or other similar phenomena.

Types:

Although they vary in severity, they are associated with several neuropsychiatric disorders.

Currently, four tic disorders are defined. They differ from each other according to three criteria: the age of onset, the duration of the disorder, the number and variety of tics.

Temporary tic disorder (also known as benign tic disorder): It is specific in that it must start before the age of 18 years. Tics should occur several times a day, almost every day for at least four weeks (1 month), but not more than 12 months, and the patient should not meet the criteria for Tourette's syndrome or a chronic tic disorder.

Chronic motor or voice disorders: tics should have occurred almost daily or intermittently for more than one year, in the absence of a tic-free interval of more than three months. Tics should be vocal or motor, but not both, and should not meet the criteria for Tourette's syndrome.

Tourette syndrome is considered the most serious of the four tic disorders. Tics should include multiple vocal and motor tics, although not necessarily necessary at the same time. Tics should occur several times a day, almost every day or at intervals longer than one year, in the absence of asymptomatic intervals longer than six months. There must be variations in the number, location, severity, complexity, and frequency of tics over time.

Unspecified ICT disorder: This category includes all cases that do not meet the criteria for any of the other ICT disorders.

Health hazard

Specialists urge you to treat yourself, especially in the case of tics that can cause serious medical problems.

Gritting of the teeth is a tic known in medical terms as bruxism. Stress or digestive problems are the causes of this dangerous tic. A person who has acquired bruxism and is not aware of the dangers of tics can end up having serious dental problems, from the appearance of cracks in the teeth to the destruction of the teeth.

Even the red of the nails is not without dangers. A person who is accustomed to biting his nails at different times of the day, regardless of hygiene, can come across dangerous viruses that can affect his health. Bacteria on the skin are transferred to the mouth, which can cause infections of the throat or gums.

Other seemingly harmless types of tics that can seriously affect your health:

Pulling and twisting hair. Twisting a piece of hair around the finger can damage the root over time. This can lead to temporary or permanent areas of hair loss as well as infections.

Cracking of the neck. Strong twisting of the head can damage the cartilage between the vertebrae. Although this makes you feel good for a while, cracking destroys the ligaments and can lead to arthritis.

Touching the face. Touching your face repeatedly or obsessively breaking pimples can irreversibly damage very thin microscopic layers on the surface of the skin.

Licking and biting his lip. Nervous licking of the lips exposes them to the digestive enzymes in your mouth. These enzymes further digest the skin and can cause dermatitis and inflammation, which cause the lips to appear dry and cracked.

Redness on the inside of the cheek can become a habit due to nervousness, which we do not realize until too late. The inside of the cheek swells, making it easier for practitioners to continue to bite that spot. Even after the habit is healed, it continues. Over time, this can lead to chronic inflammation, possibly bleeding, and scarring of the area.

Gnawing drops. The candies are very sweet, and the sugar in their contents can cause cavities. Oral bacteria feed on sugar, which creates a perfect environment for tooth decay.

Chewing gum overloads your jaw muscles, and the sugar in your chewing gum attacks your tooth enamel. In addition, when you chew gum you swallow a lot of air, which causes bloating.

Pink the ends of pens or pencils. In addition to the bacteria contained in the objects, the teeth will suffer the most.

When you need to go to a specialist

Most mild cases of tics do not require medical treatment and will recover on their own. Our advice is for family members to try to ignore simple tics, as teasing or any other unwanted attention can make the tics worse.

However, a visit to the doctor is recommended in any of the following situations:

• Professional performance decreases due to tics.

• Social relationships (with colleagues or friends) are affected by tics.

• Encounter difficulties in carrying out the activity of daily living

• You have been injured, injured, or developed other physical problems due to tics.

• Other members of your family have or have had tic disorders.

• You have recently had angina or other streptococcal infection.

• The tics suddenly appeared.

For a doctor's visit, it's important to have:

• Noted. Any symptoms, even those that you think have nothing to do with the consultation you are going to, should be noted on a piece of paper;

• Heredocloateral anamnesis. Write down information about possible illnesses that your family members are suffering from, which can be very important in assessing potential risks;

• Medications previously and recently administered. Make a list of the medications you are taking, even if they are over-the-counter vitamins or supplements;

• Diet. Tell your doctor about your eating habits and lifestyle;

• Questions. Write down all the questions you want to ask your doctor;

• Video evidence of symptoms. Try to record a video, if possible, to help your doctor with more complete information.

How do we treat tics?

The best results can be obtained by psycho-motor re-education, ie isolation of patients from their usual environment, hospitalization in inpatient conditions in peace, administration of sedative drugs, monotherapy (prolonged, intermittent drug sleep), exercise, meditation, a treatment that achieves optimal brain rest conditions.