August 5, 2004
Other
Question from New York, USA:
My brother was diagnosed with type 1 and began insulin injections at age 12. Soon thereafter he developed a “tic”, where his eyes roll around in his head, in tandem. It looks like the “sarcastic” gesture, but it’s completely involuntary, quite terrifying actually. It seemed to go away over the years, but I realized he is squeezing his surrounding facial muscles to suppress it, and when tired, he fails to suppress it and I spot it, and it’s still terrifying, six years later. I can’t find anything online about it, has anyone else with juvenile diabetes seen this develop?
Answer:
Sorry, but this likely has little to do with any metabolic derangement related to diabetes.
I can offer a couple of explanations:
Your brother developed a “nervous tic” given the issues surrounding the diabetes diagnosis and it has persisted as a “habit.”
Your brother has two relatively common disorders, namely diabetes and a tic disorder.
If the odd movements are that bothersome, a referral to a neurologist and/or neuropsychiatrist/behavior modification expert might be helpful.
DS
