Diabetic Leg Ulcers

Diabetes is a disease that causes your blood sugar or blood glucose level to surge. Some of the early signs of diabetes can include frequent urination, feeling exhausted, increased thirst, blurry vision, numbness, irritability, patches of dark skin, and last but not least, slow healing of cuts and wounds. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease and develops when your immune system attacks and damages the beta cells of the pancreas that produce insulin. It is also said that viruses can trigger this disease as well and that environmental factors and genes play a huge role in its development. Type 2 diabetes occurs when the pancreas is unable to produce sufficient insulin or when your body becomes resistant to insulin. For type 2 diabetes, being inactive and overweight are some of the risk factors along with environmental factors and genetics.

If you contract diabetes, excessive blood sugar levels can cause severe damage to the blood vessels and cause other complications as well. These complications can include damage to nerves, eyes, kidneys, and other parts of the body. Diabetes can also lead to an increased risk of stroke and heart attack, and various sexual problems. One of the major health risks that come along with diabetes is wound healing. If a person develops diabetes, wounds usually take longer than normal to heal, and hence, there are increased chances of development and spread of infections and other such issues that can wreak havoc on your overall health. However, if you know how to deal with your diabetes and you can manage it nicely by bringing changes to your lifestyle, the rate at which your wounds heal can be improved exponentially. Hence, there is a mitigated risk of contracting other infections and complicated health issues. A lot of people who have diabetes often experience aggravated health issues that are the consequences of infected wounds.

Getting cuts, burns, and wounds is an inevitable part of life and a serious health risk for those people who have diabetes. The people with diabetes, who also contract wounds or other minor cuts, usually face issues when it comes to the healing of those wounds. These wounds usually either take longer to heal, are not properly healed, or do not heal at all. These complications then further lead to dangerous infections that make the already bad situation even worse for a diabetic patient. These infections can also spread to other parts of the body such as bones, tissues, and in those cases where there is a lack of medical care, these infections can be a threat to life as well.
For a healthy lifestyle, it is important that a person regularly exercises or at least walks enough to remain active, however, if a diabetic person develops an infection in their wounds, it can have adverse effects on their overall health as these infections make exercise and walking very difficult and painful. So, it is important that a diabetic person manages their blood sugar levels and keeps it under control to mitigate the risk of infections that come with wounds that take longer to heal. Several reports show that almost one in four diabetic people develop foot ulcers. These foot ulcers are painful sores that can eventually lead to the amputation of the foot. It is also reported that diabetes contributes to two hundred and thirty amputations daily in the United States of America.

There is a major connection between wound healing and blood glucose levels. Diabetes has an impact on the insulin factor of the body and makes it difficult for the body to maintain the levels of glucose in the blood. Permanently high blood glucose levels can lead to an adverse effect on the white blood cells functioning. When white blood cells can’t play their role efficiently, the body’s ability to fight bacteria and close wounds mitigates. Poor blood circulation throughout the body makes the delivery of nutrients to the wounds difficult and hence, there is slow healing of wounds. Diabetes can also lead to nerve damage or neuropathy that also has an impact on the healing of wounds. However, it is possible to improve the wound healing process if diabetic people pay a little attention to their lifestyle and make necessary changes to aid in the better healing process and overall health.