Various Causes and Risk Factors of Diabetic Foot Ulcer Dallas, Tx
A diabetic foot ulcer is an open sore or wound that occurs in approximately 15 percent of patients with diabetes and is commonly located on the bottom of the foot. Of those who develop a foot ulcer, 6 percent will be hospitalized due to infection or other ulcer-related complication.
Diabetes is the leading cause of non-traumatic lower extremity amputations in the United States, and approximately 14–24 percent of patients with diabetes who develop a foot ulcer will require an amputation. Foot ulceration precedes 85 percent of diabetes-related amputations. Research has shown, however, that development of a foot ulcer is preventable.
Causes of Diabetic foot Ulcer
Anyone who has diabetes can develop a foot ulcer. People who use insulin are at higher risk of developing a foot ulcer, as are patients with diabetes-related kidney, eye, and heart disease. Being overweight and using alcohol and tobacco also play a role in the development of foot ulcers.
High Blood Sugar Levels
High glucose levels can slow down the healing process of an infected foot ulcer, so blood sugar management is critical. People with type 2 diabetes often have a harder time fighting off infections from ulcers.
Diabetes is a metabolic disease that causes elevated levels of glucose in the blood. Elevated blood glucose levels stiffen the body’s arteries and narrow its blood vessels, restricting the delivery of the blood and oxygen needed to support the body’s natural healing abilities.
Poor Circulation
Poor blood circulation is a form of vascular disease in which blood doesn’t flow to your feet efficiently. Poor circulation can also make it more difficult for ulcers to heal.
Individuals with diabetes are at an increased risk for peripheral arterial disease (PAD), a condition that restricts blood flow to the feet and legs. PAD is especially problematic for those with chronic wounds, particularly diabetic foot ulcers,
Nerve Damage
Nerve damage reduces your sensitivity to foot pain and results in painless wounds that can cause ulcers. Your podiatrist can test feet for neuropathy with a simple, painless tool called a monofilament.
Uncontrolled blood sugar levels can lead to nerve damage in people with diabetes. Diabetic neuropathies are a family of nerve disease that causes a loss of sensation, including the ability to feel pain.
Immune System Issues
One of the roles the body’s immune system is to clear away dead, damaged tissue and build new skin cells once a wound or injury has occurred. Diabetes can slow a person’s immune system, which affects the body’s ability to send white blood cells to fight bacteria in an infected diabetic foot ulcer.
Infection
Because diabetics tend to have weaker immune systems, their bodies are more susceptible to infection. Particularly in those with diabetes, it’s common for a wound to develop an infection like non-healing diabetic foot ulcers.
Vascular disease can complicate a foot ulcer, reducing the body’s ability to heal and increasing the risk for infection. Elevations in blood glucose can reduce the body’s ability to fight off a potential infection and also slow healing.
Types of Diabetic Ulcers
There are several types of diabetic foot ulcers
- Neuropathic ulcers occur where there is peripheral diabetic neuropathy, but no ischemia caused by peripheral artery disease.
- Ischemic ulcers occur where there is peripheral artery disease present without the involvement of diabetic peripheral neuropathy.
- Neuroischemic ulcers occur where the person has both peripheral neuropathy and ischemia resulting from peripheral artery disease.
Arriving at the correct diagnosis and identifying the cause of a diabetic ulcer is critical since it affects the treatment plan.
Risk Factors for Diabetic Foot Ulcers
All people with diabetes are at risk for foot ulcers, which can have multiple causes. Some factors can increase the risk of foot ulcers, including:
· poorly fitted or poor-quality shoes
· poor hygiene (not washing regularly or thoroughly)
· improper trimming of toenails
· alcohol consumption
· eye disease from diabetes
· heart disease
· kidney disease
· obesity
· tobacco use (inhibits blood circulation)
Diabetic foot ulcers are also most common in older men.
