Diabetes is a serious disease that affects the body's response to insulin. In addition to the primary effects of diabetes, many diabetics have impaired wound healing which can present additional risks.
Identification
Diabetes is a set of metabolic disorders. Generally the term "diabetes," when used alone, typically refers to diabetes mellitus, which is characterized by sweet urine. This is due to an excess of glucose in the blood, not all of which can be filtered out by the kidneys, leading to some being present in the urine. Diabetes mellitus is due to problems with insulin.
Types
There are two types of diabetes mellitus. The first, type I, is due to an inability of the islet cells in the pancreas to produce insulin. Type II diabetes is marked by resistance to endogenously produced insulin. Since insulin is critical in the the uptake and regulation of glucose in the blood, both types lead to increased blood sugar.
Warning
Any time a diabetic gets a cut on their foot it can present a serious complication. Diabetic foot ulcers is the most common complication from diabetes, and it is estimated to occur in 15% of all diabetics. Diabetic foot ulcers can become infected with gangrene and can result in amputation of the affected limb.
Effects
The reason why diabetic foot ulcers are so dangerous is due to delayed wound healing. There are many causes for this---the primary one is peripheral neuropathy, in which the patient has reduced sensation in their peripheral nerves. There is also a lack of growth factors, chemicals that regulate blood vessel growth, as well as certain immune cells that are necessary to effectively heal a wound.
Prevention/Solution
The best way to avoid serious complications is to make sure that diabetics inspect their feet as often as possible. Any sort of foot cut can be treated with a variety of techniques, including the administration of growth factors to try and speed the wound healing response. Removal of diseased and infected tissue can also speed the process. More recently, there has been a movement to inject cells necessary for wound healing directly onto foot ulcerations in diabetics.
Tags: wound healing, foot ulcers, Diabetic foot, Diabetic foot ulcers, glucose blood