Skin color change is the most important symptom of diabetic foot
Diabetic foot is an important concern that affects diabetic patients as one of the serious complications that cause a lot of trouble, and it may eventually lead to amputation.
What are the symptoms of diabetic foot?
• High or low temperature of the feet.
• Delayed wound healing.
• Strong pain in the feet when standing or walking.
• Gradual loss of feeling in the feet.
• Skin discoloration.
• A bad-smelling discharge in the diseased foot.
• Foot numbness.
When you feel the symptoms of the diabetic foot mentioned previously, seek the medical advice of Dr. Waleed El-Daly, Professor of Vascular and Endovascular surgery and diabetic foot treatment.
Causes of diabetic foot:
There are many causes of diabetic foot, including:
• Family history of diabetes.
• Hyperglycemia for long periods.
• Hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia.
• Overweight and obesity.
• Narrowing or blockage of the peripheral arteries that supply the foot.
• Peripheral neuritis.
• Imbalance in the functions of sensory nerves.
Factors that increase the incidence of diabetic foot disease:
Some negative habits may cause a high incidence of diabetic foot disease, including:
• Wearing improper and tight shoes.
• bruises and burns.
• Smoking.
• Drinking alcohol.
• Vascular diseases.
• Neuropathy.
• Not paying attention to the injured foot.
• Failure to keep the foot clean continuously.
How is diabetic foot diagnosed?
Dr. Waleed El-Daly uses several procedures and information to diagnose diabetic foot, including the following:
• Knowing the medical history of the case.
• Physical examination.
• Performing some analysis.
• Use of x-rays.
What is the best treatment for diabetic foot cases?
• Maintaining blood sugar rates at normal levels.
• Cleaning wounds frequently and removing dead tissue.
• Taking medications that help improve blood circulation.
• Administrating some antibiotics to treat infections in the foot.
• Constantly adjusting blood pressure.
• Using appropriate surgical dressings to aid wound healing.
• Wearing medical shoes.
• In some advanced cases, the doctor has to perform a surgical intervention to treat the diabetic foot.
The specialist doctor is the only one who can set the appropriate method of treatment after a proper diagnosis of the patient.
Complications of diabetic foot symptoms:
1. Diabetic foot ulcer:
It is a foot wound due to skin tissue fibrosis, and it is usually found on the bottom of the foot and can affect the patient strongly and may reach the bones.
2. Osteoarthritis:
Increased blood glucose levels sometimes leads to inflammation of the bones of the legs that become prone to fracture in many cases.
3. Gangrene:
It is a disease that affects the nerves and causes the death of body tissues due to the interruption of the blood supply to the organs or severe bacterial infection due to diabetic foot.
4. Foot deformity:
Failure to control blood glucose levels for long periods leads to peripheral nerve inflammation, called diabetic neuropathy, which affects the foot shape negatively and causes it to change significantly.
5. Charcot's feet:
It is the movement of the bones and joints from their place to appear in the foot from the bottom.
6. Lower limb amputation:
In advanced ulcers, diabetes can lead to amputation of the lower extremities of the feet.
Dr. Waleed El-Daly advises diabetic foot patients to follow up with their doctor periodically to avoid any complications that can cause many problems. For more details about the signs of the diabetic foot and the appropriate treatment method, please contact Dr. Waleed El-Daly Clinic.
