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Omega-3 fatty acids may be helpful for children with Tourette's
Omega-3 fatty acids may be beneficial in the reduction of tic-related impairment for some children with Tourette’s syndrome, but they do not reduce tics themselves, according to recent study results.
Researchers from the New York University School of Medicine conducted a double blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial of omega-3 fatty acids in pediatric Tourette’s syndrome.
Thirty-three children and adolescents in the New York metropolitan area aged 6 to 18 years with Tourette’s syndrome were randomly assigned, double blind, to omega-3 fatty acids or placebo for 20 weeks. Omega-3 fatty acids consisted of combined eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids, with olive oil as the placebo. All participants were evaluated by a board-certified child and adolescent psychiatrist, and investigators, participants and parents were masked to treatment assignment.
Researchers compared groups using intent-to-treat analyses and controlled for baseline measures and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder using logistic regression, evaluating the percentage of responders on the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale (YGTSS)-Tic and secondary outcome measures using the YGTSS-Global and YGTSS-Impairment scales, besides analyzing covariance. The researchers also used longitudinal mixed-effects models to compare the two groups.
Results showed that although participants treated with omega-3 fatty acids did not have significantly higher response rates or lower mean scores on the YGTSS-Tic scale vs. the placebo group (53% vs. 38%; 15.6 ± 1.6 vs. 17.1 ± 1.6), there were significantly more participants on omega-3 fatty acids considered responders on the YGTSS-Global (53% vs. 31%) and YGTSS-Impairment (59% vs. 25%) scales. Mean YGTSS-Impairment scores were significantly lower in the omega-3 fatty acids group compared with the placebo group (P=.04). Omega-3 fatty acids did not significantly affect obsessive-compulsive, depressive and anxiety symptoms in participants, according to the researchers.
Although there were no significant differences in tic severity between the two groups, the mean improvement on the TGTSS-Tic scores for the omega-3 fatty acids arm of the study was 26%, which is consistent with other Tourette’s syndrome randomized controlled trials with risperidone (Risperdal, Janssen Pharmaceuticals) and guanfacine (Intuniv, Shire), according to the researchers.
“This suggests that [omega-3 fatty acids] may have potential as an alternative treatment of tics as well,” they wrote. “Our study indicates that [omega-3 fatty acid] supplementation is tolerable for children and adolescents with [Tourette’s syndrome] and may be a rational consideration, especially for patients who experience high levels of impairment and/or do not obtain satisfactory results from currently established medications.”
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
