Diabetic Foot
People with diabetes have elevated amounts of blood sugar or blood glucose, which may harm both nerves and blood vessels throughout the age. Diabetic neuropathy may lead to losing the ability to feel your toes and feet. It’s possible that you won’t notice a cut, bruise, or pain. Ulcers and illnesses may develop as a result of such foot injuries.
If the condition is severe enough, an amputation may be the only option. If the blood arteries in your feet are damaged, you run the risk of running low on oxygen and blood flow. If you develop a sore or disease on your foot, it will be more difficult to recover.
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Everything You Need To Know About Diabetic Foot
What is a Diabetic Foot?
Patients with diabetes frequently experience difficulties with their feet and ankles. Diabetic feet are more prone to developing ulcers, abnormalities, and infections than other feet.
An untreated diabetic foot ulcer or blistering may become deadly if not diagnosed early. Amputating (removing) a finger, foot, or leg section may be necessary to minimize infection from spreading further.
Causes
Diabetic ulcers are most often caused by:
- A lack of oxygen to the tissues
- Blood sugar levels are abnormally high (hyperglycemia)
- Injuries to the nerves
- Inflamed or injured feet are a common complaint
You may have poor blood circulation to your legs due to a vascular illness known as angina pectoris. Poor blood flow might also hinder the healing of ulcers, and an untreated foot ulcer will heal more slowly if blood sugar levels are not properly controlled. As a result, patients with type 2 diabetes and other health conditions are more susceptible to ulcer infections.
In the long run, numbness might cause you to lose the ability to feel your feet. Symptoms of nerve damage include tingling and discomfort. Nerve damage diminishes the tolerance to pain in the feet, leading to painless ulcers and difficult to treat.
Symptoms
If diabetic neuropathy results in diabetic foot ulcers, the following are signs to look out for:
- Sores, wounds, bruising, calluses, and other alterations to the skin or nails should be reported
- Fluid or pus is expelled
- The stench is unbearable
- Pain
- Rashes
- Darkening of the skin
- Inflammation.
Medications
If your ulcer infection worsens despite therapy with antibiotics, antiplatelets, or anti-clotting drugs, your physician may recommend antibiotics, anticlotting, or antiplatelet medicines to cure it. Staphylococcus aureus, the bacterium proven to cause staph infections, as well as the bacteria ß-hemolytic Streptococcus, which itself is generally present in your intestinal tract, are targets for many of these medicines.
Inquire with your specialist about any other medical issues you may be suffering from that might raise your chance of contracting an infection from these hazardous bacteria, such as HIV or liver disease.
Treatment in details
Keep your feet off the ground to avoid ulcer-related discomfort. Off-loading is a technique that may treat all types of diabetic foot ulcers, including pressure ulcers. Pressure from moving may cause an infection much worse and an ulcer grows larger. Your doctor may advise you to use specific products to safeguard your foot, such as the following:
- Shoes that are specifically made for people with diabetes
- Casts.
- bracing for the feet
- Compress wraps are a kind of wrap that helps to compress the body
- Shoe inserts are used to eliminate corns and calluses on the feet
Doctors may treat foot ulcers by performing a debridement, eliminating dead tissue and foreign items that might have contributed to the ulcer’s development. An infectious disease is a dangerous consequence of a foot ulcer that needs immediate medical attention and attention. Not every infection responds to the same treatment.
The tissue around the ulcer may be submitted to a laboratory for testing to identify which antibiotic will be most effective. Your physician may order a bone X-ray if they detect a significant infection, and this will allow them to search for evidence of bone infection.
Illness of a foot ulcer may be avoided by doing the following:
- baths for the feet
- Using alcohol to disinfect the skin surrounding an ulcer.
- Maintaining the ulcer dry by changing the dressing regularly
- Treatments with enzymes
- Dressings comprising calcium alginates are used to limit the development of microorganisms.
Surgical operations are performed.
If your ulcer infection worsens despite therapy with antibiotics, antiplatelets, or anti-clotting drugs, your physician may recommend antibiotics, anticlotting, or antiplatelet medicines to cure it. Staphylococcus aureus, the bacterium proven to cause staph infections, as well as the bacteria ß-hemolytic Streptococcus, which itself is generally present in your intestinal tract, are targets for many of these medicines.
Inquire with your specialist about any other medical issues you may be suffering from that might raise your chance of contracting an infection from these hazardous bacteria, such as HIV or liver disease.
Conclusion
However, the feet of diabetics must be kept clean, monitored often, and worn supportive footwear to avoid problems.