Diabetic Foot: Symptoms, Risks, Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention

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Diabetic Foot
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Diabetic Foot

• A diabetic ulcer is a condition in, which an
  open sore or wound occurs on the foot of a
  diabetic patient. Around 15 of the patients with
  diabetes develop this disease. Uncontrolled
  diabetes leads to the breaking down of skin
  tissue and revealing the layers underneath the
  foot. The diabetic foot ulcer can be very deep
  and may affect bones, tendons, and foot muscles.
  If a diabetic foot ulcer is left untreated, it
  can result in
• Accumulation of fluids (pus) in the foot
• Infection in the bone
• Infection that can spread to other parts
• Gangrene, due to poor blood flow

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Risks factors for Diabetic foot ulcers

• Every diabetic patient is at risk of developing
  a foot ulcer. Some other factors that can
  increase the risk of diabetic foot are
• High glucose levels
• Excessive alcohol consumption
• Cardiovascular disease
• Obesity
• Smoking or any other form of tobacco intake
• Kidney disease

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Symptoms

• One of the most common symptoms of the diabetic
  foot is a development of ulcer on the bottom or
  the other side of the foot. This ulcer may drain
  some abnormal fluid leaving spots on your socks
  and shoes. The critical symptom of diabetic foot
  is the formation of an eschar (dead tissue)
  around the ulcer. Lack of blood flow to the foot
  often results in the death of tissue in the foot.
  The other symptoms of diabetic foot may include 
• Excessive swelling
• Bleeding
• Irritation
• Redness
• Pain around the foot ulcer
• Unpleasant smell from the feet

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Diagnosis of Diabetic Foot Ulcer

• The diagnosis of diabetic ulcer will help your
  doctor to evaluate
• How deep the ulcer is
• Presence of infection, if any
• Circulatory problems
• Initially, the doctor will diagnose the diabetic
  foot ulcer by conducting a thorough physical
  examination, which includes heart rate
  measurement, blood pressure, and your body
  temperature. The doctor will also test the
  circulation of blood in your legs and feet. A
  doctor may also use cotton or a thin needle to
  check the ulcer to see how deep it is. To
  understand your case better a doctor may order a
  diagnostic test.

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Diagnosis of Diabetic Foot Ulcer
Continue

• The diagnostic tests for diabetic foot may
  include
• MRI
• CT Scan
• Blood test
• Bone scan
• X-ray
• Culture test of the ulcer

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Treatments

• The treatment of diabetic foot starts with the
  self-care. Do not put too much pressure on your
  affected foot, pressure can make ulcer more
  severe and painful. Wear diabetic shoes to get
  relief from the mild symptoms of a diabetic foot.
  Wash your feet with daily with a disinfectant
  soap or liquid solution. Diabetic foot ulcer
  can be removed by a procedure called,
  Debridement. This procedure removes the infection
  and dead skin around the foot. A doctor may also
  prescribe antiplatelets, antibiotics, and
  anti-clotting medicines to restrict the growth of
  an infection. The silver and calcium dressing
  creams can be applied around the
  ulcer. However, if none of the above treatments
  are helpful, a surgery is performed to remove
  some part of the foot to prevent infection from
  growing in other parts of the body.

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Prevention of Diabetic foot ulcer

• The problem of a diabetic foot ulcer is
  preventable if a diabetic patient undertakes the
  following measures
• Keeping high blood sugar under control
• Wearing comfortable shoes
• Washing your feet regularly
• Changing socks daily
• Moisturising your feet
• Proper trimming of toe nails

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