ular attention to interdigital distances and nails. In the presence of cracks and cuts, you should immediately contact your doctor!
People who suffer from diabetes mellitus visit a doctor at least once a year to conduct a clinical examination of their feet. Only a doctor is able to prescribe treatment, provide guidelines for trauma treatment, and prescribe orthopedic shoes with special insoles to reduce the load on the limbs.
Forms of diabetic foot syndrome
The diabetic foot is formed depending on one or another factor that negatively affects the patient’s health. Therefore, there are 2 main forms:
- Neuropathic ;
- Neuroischemic .
Each is expressed in a unique list of symptoms that require detailed consideration. The importance of this information lies in the specificity of the treatment of each form, since there are no universal methods.
The visual characteristics of the foot are normal at the initial stages. It has a pink color, is warm to the touch, the vessels can be easily palpated . The ulcer is localized in places of increased mechanical stress. The ulcer is wet, painful sensations in the lesion does not occur. The skin around the injury is dry and thick. This form is found among people with alcohol abuse, type 1 diabetes and young patients.
This form has other external features. The color of the foot changes to reddish or bluish, rubeosis is characteristic . If the limb is not infected, the temperature will be cold. A dry ulcer forms in places with the worst blood supply. Diabetics feel pain when physically exposed to an open area. More often, the neuroischemic form occurs in the elderly, heavy smokers, people with high blood cholesterol.
Who is at risk?
People are at risk of developing diabetic foot syndrome:
- People with diabetes for more than 10 years;
- Severely obese;
- With unstable blood glucose levels;
- Addicted to smoking and alcohol;
- Have had a stroke or heart attack;
- Prone to blood clots.
Persons in risk groups must undergo diagnostics in a clinic. Reckless attempts at self-medication lead to the most sad consequences!
To begin with, the patient should consult a therapist, surgeon or endocrinologist. Also, help is provided by doctors working in specialized offices for diabetic feet, but these are not available in every city. The diagnosis is made on the basis of the collected analyzes. First, basic body studies are performed:
- Blood biochemistry, as well as its general analysis;
- General urine analysis, coupled with checking the stability of the kidneys;
- Ultrasound of the heart, x-ray of the chest and its organs;
- Assessment of the degree of blood clotting.
After that, the work of the patient’s nervous system is examined:
- Checking the safety of reflexes;
- Assessment of tactile / pain sensitivity.
Further, the quality of blood flow to the lower extremities is examined:
- Measurement of blood pressure in the vessels of the feet;
- Dopplerometry ;
If there is a formed ulcer:
- A sample of the microflora of the wound is taken to assess its sensitivity to antibiotic drugs;
- Examination of an open lesion under a microscope.
The final stage is radiography of the lower extremities. Despite the duration of the diagnostic stages, an effective treatment plan cannot be built without them.
The methods of treating diabetic foot are complex, that is, they contain several procedures at once that have a beneficial effect on the injury and on the general condition of the patient. Doctors divide the methods of treatment into several types, each of which universally adapts to the problem of the diabetic. The first option is to treat SDS with stable blood flow to the affected limb:
- Complete rejection of addictions;
- Physical relief of the injured foot;
- Suppression of the development of infections by antibacterial treatment;
- Tracking the course of the underlying disease;
- Treatment of possible concomitant ailments caused by SDS.
The second option is relevant in case of impaired blood flow to the injured foot:
- Identical therapy described above;
- Restoration of the quality and stability of blood sup