Otolaryngologic presentation of tic-like disorders.

Common otolaryngologic symptoms such as coughing and sneezing may not be manifestations of disease of the upper respiratory tract. Two cases are reported in which these symptoms were the first evidence of tic-like disorders. A short discussion of one such disorder, Gilles de la Tourette's syndrome, is presented. The entity of paroxysmal sneezing is also mentioned. It is pointed out that, in the absence of otolaryngologic disease, these disorders may first present to an otolaryngologist for diagnosis.