People with diabetes are much more prone to infection and foot problems than non-diabetics.  It shouldn’t be surprising that diabetic foot disease is a serious problem for many diabetes patients. In many cases, diabetic foot disease or the complications from them result in amputation. The serious problems are usually the result of infection from one of these diabetic foot disease problems:

  • Diabetic neuropathy or damaged nerves
  • Peripheral vascular disease or blocked arteries of the legs
  • Foot ulceration that results in infection

 

Most of these initial problems can be prevented just with learning to properly care for the feet when you have diabetes. Diabetic foot disease doesn’t have to happen to you.

 

Neuropathy and Diabetic Foot Disease

 

Diabetic neuropathy is defined as damage of the nerve fibers in diabetic people. High blood glucose levels changes the nerve cell metabolism and reduces the blood flow to the nerve. The most common diabetic neuropathy affects the nerves in the legs. This is known as peripheral neuropathy and is the type that is mostly responsible for diabetic foot disease.

Because the nerves are damaged, loss of feeling is the result. People with this condition in the foot put too much pressure on a certain part of the foot at the same spot but can’t feel it. This extended pressure breaks down the tissue and results in a foot ulcer. But the patient doesn’t know it. So the ulcer develops an infection and things start to get serious. These infections often can lead to amputation. The best prevention is routine examination of the feet for abnormal looking spots.

 

Another Type of Diabetic Foot Disease – Charcot’s Arthropathy

 

This diabetic foot disease is a complication of diabetic neuropathy. The bones in the foot get weak and fractured without suffering trauma. There is little known pain because of the neuropathy so the patient continues to walk on it. The foot begins to become deformed, suffers ulceration, and will eventually need amputated. This is why this particular diabetic foot disease must be diagnosed early. If it is caught early, deformities can be minimized and so can morbidity.

This diabetic foot disease is seen in patients with both diabetes type 1 and type 2. Usually, only one foot is involved, but it can be both feet. It is usually seen in a long-term diabetic and always in someone with neuropathy. The foot will swell suddenly and feel warm when you touch it. There is no trauma to associate this with, and the first symptom is this swelling and deformity without pain. The second symptom is that there is little or very slow recovery. Get an X-ray to confirm and then get treatment quickly if diagnosed.

Diabetic foot disease doesn’t have to affect you, but you must remain vigilant and you must control your blood sugar. There are more types of diabetic foot disease types, but these are some common ones. If you are diabetic, it is a good idea to include a podiatry check up as part of your annual examination routine.