Pediatric Tourette Syndrome: A Tic Disorder with a Tricky Presentation

Dysphagia is a condition in which disruption of the swallowing process interferes with a patient's ability to eat. This may result in coughing or choking while swallowing, food sticking in the throat, or globus sensation. Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is a chronic immune-mediated disease with a varied clinical spectrum of symptoms including dysphagia. Tourette syndrome (TS) is an inherited neurological disorder that manifests itself as a series of motor and vocal tics and may include oropharyngeal dysphagia. Dysphagia as a result of TS generally affects female, elderly patients and is not reported in children. While the pathophysiology is relatively unknown, experts believe TS is closely linked to damage or abnormalities in the basal ganglia of the brain. We present this interesting pediatric case of dysphagia due to EoE, which had been previously thought to be related to the patient's TS.